An Atlanta police officer was relieved from duty after fatally shooting a black man, while another officer was assigned administrative duty.
The decision comes after the resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, who stepped down after the killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, Friday night.
The recent events sparked a new wave of demonstrations after turbulent protests following the death of George Floyd had cooled down.
According to police spokesperson Sgt. John Chafee, the terminated police officer is Garrett Rolfe, who joined the force in October 2013, while the officer on administrative duty is Devin Brosnan, who joined the force in September 2018.
The department recently released body and dash camera footage from both officers that shows what happened in detail.
The shooting can be heard in footage from both officer’s body cameras and from Rolfe’s dash camera, but was not seen on any police–provided recordings.
Rolfe spoke to Brooks for about 20 minutes before attempting to handcuff him, when a struggle ensues and both body cameras fall off.
Brooks is seen being Tased before getting shot.
The Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was fatally shot was set on fire by protesters on Saturday.
The fire was declared under control by 11:30pm, but local news stations showed the building is again ablaze around 4am Sunday.
As of midnight, Atlanta police arrested 36 people at protests.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the resignation of the police chief during the Saturday afternoon news conference, and called upon the immediate removal of the officer who shot Brooks from duty.
“I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force,” Bottoms said.
Bottoms clarified that it was Shield’s decision to step down and that she would remain in an undetermined role.
Interim Corrections Chief Rodney Bryant will be acting as interim police chief.