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The police shooting of Rayshard Brooks was tragic, but justifiable
by James A. Gagliano

On Friday night in Atlanta, we witnessed an all-too-familiar scene in the age of viral video. A bystander used a cellphone to capture video of two cops engaged in a violent struggle on the ground with a noncompliant suspect.

Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year old black man, apparently fell asleep at the wheel in a Wendy’s drive-thru lane. After a citizen’s complaint call, two Atlanta Police Department officers were dispatched and encountered Brooks, who was now parked in the lot. A field sobriety test raised reasonable suspicion of Brooks being under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

The cops then performed their sworn duty to enforce the law and attempted to take Brooks into custody. A violent, sustained struggle ensues. Brooks then grabs an officer’s Taser and attempts to flee on foot. Both officers give chase. Wendy’s security camera footage released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation picks up the pursuit and clearly shows Brooks wheel around and appears to fire the Taser at the closest officer, less than 10 feet away.

In a split second, the targeted officer appears to duck, collides with a parked vehicle, switches his own Taser to the other hand, draws his sidearm, and fires at Brooks, leaving him mortally wounded on the pavement.

Continues:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-police-shooting-of-rayshard-brooks-in-atlanta-was-tragic-but-justifiable

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