Black Georgia Sheriff Says Rayshard Brooks Shooting Was ‘Completely Justified’
You’ll be hearing a lot of talk about the shooting of Rayshard Brooks by an Atlanta police officer now that the city’s district attorney has filed 11 charges against Ofc. Garrett Rolfe, including felony murder.
But perhaps it’s worth hearing what Burke County, Ga., Sheriff Alfonzo Williams has to say. He has, after all, run three law enforcement departments, so he knows a thing or two.
“This is the third law enforcement agency I’ve been head of,” Williams, who is black, told CNN. “Every agency I’ve gone to, I’ve required every officer who carries a Taser to be Tased with it, so that you understand the incapacitation.”
“Five seconds; 1,001, 1,002, 1,003, 1,004, 1,005. That’s five whole seconds. If an officer is hit with that Taser that he, all of his muscles will be locked up and he’ll have the inability to move and to respond. And yet he is still responsible for every weapon on his belt.
“So, if that officer had been hit, he still has a firearm on his side and the likelihood of him being stomped in the head or having his firearm taken and used against him was a probability. And so he did what he needed to do. And this was a completely justified shooting,” Williams said.
Brooks was shot as he attempted to flee Rolfe and another officer, Devin Brosnan, after they tried arrest Brooks when he failed a sobriety test. Brooks wrestled and punched both officers and stole one of their Tasers, which he fired at one as he ran. Rolfe then shot him twice.
“So you think lethal force here was necessary?” CNN anchor Brianna Keilar asked. Williams said the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution allowed for such force. “There’s nothing malicious or sadistic in the way these officers behaved.”
Rolfe was fired and the Atlanta police chief was forced out by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, reportedly on the short list to become Joe Biden’s running mate. Williams also said the police department and the mayor should have backed the officer.
“It’s very unfortunate that the law enforcement leaders in the state of Georgia have not come out and stood together on this case,” Williams said. “I think it’s political and it’s senseless.
“We’re sending the wrong message to our black youth. We’re telling them that it’s OK, that they can run from the police, that they can take a weapon from the police, they can fight with the police, and point their weapon at the police, and expect nothing to happen. That is the wrong message to send to black youth.”
Williams also said there was no racism in the shooting.
“An officer generally goes to work every day, he’s not concerned about whether a perpetrator is black or white. He’s there to do a job,” he said.
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