Atlanta to Pay $1 Million to Family of Rayshard Brooks Over Fatal 2020 Police Shooting

The city of Atlanta will pay $1 million to the family of Rayshard Brooks, who was shot and killed by a white police officer in June 2020.

Per a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta City Council voted unanimously in support of the payment following a closed session on Monday. In a statement to the publication, the team of attorneys representing the Brooks family commented on this particular case being settled while looking forward to what they hope will be an eventual intervention from the Department of Justice.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, was fatally shot by officer Garrett Rolfe on June 12, 2020. At the time, Rolfe and another officer, Devin Brosnan, were both on the scene after responding to a call of Brooks’ vehicle having blocked the drive-through lane at a Wendy’s restaurant. During a subsequent pursuit on foot, Brooks was alleged to have taken one of the officer’s taser devices and used it. Rolfe ultimately shot Brooks in the back with his handgun. One of Rolfe’s shots allegedly struck a nearby vehicle that was occupied.

The fatal shooting was widely criticized and spurred a wave of protests. Initially, both officers were hit with charges in connection with the shooting. However, the officers later filed a federal lawsuit of their own in which they argued their rights were violated. As reported in August, the officers are no longer facing charges.

“My heart continues to ache for the family of Rayshard Brooks,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement released in August. “He was a father whose absence will forever be felt by our community.”