Protests broke out again against police brutality on Saturday after another black African-America man was killed by law enforcement officers during an arrest in the city of Atlanta of the southeastern Georgia state.
As per the press release by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the incident took place on June 12 when police responded to a complaint about a man sleeping inside a vehicle parked at the drive-thru of a local Wendy's restaurant and was obstructing other customers.
Upon arrival, officers found 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks indeed asleep and intoxicated, Sputnik reported.
"During a physical struggle with officers, Brooks obtained one of the officer's tasers and began to flee from the scene. Officers pursued Brooks on foot and during the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the taser at the officer. The officer fired his weapon, striking Brooks," the press release read.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms stated Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields will be stepping aside as police chief following the deadly officer-involved shooting of a black man on Friday night.
Bottoms also added that this was Shields' decision, however, she will continue to remain with the city in an undetermined role.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT
To those judging #RayshardBrooks because he fought and ran: Maybe he decided to fight and run because he knew that complying wouldn’t necessarily guarantee his safety. Maybe he thought he was fighting for his life. Maybe. pic.twitter.com/KLpbPEjYez
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 14, 2020
The incident was filmed by the witness. The incident comes at a moment when the entire US is roiled by protests triggered by the death of George Floyd under police custody in Minneapolis.
The nationwide and worldwide spread of anti-racist protests following the death of George Floyd have led to calls to defund police departments and take down Confederate statues.