Never in my many decades on this planet have I seen a county district attorney stand before cameras and tell lie upon lie upon lie while on national television announcing a massive overreach of charges against a police officer accused of misuse of deadly force.
Yet that Is exactly what I saw Fulton County, Georgia DA Paul Howard do Wednesday in making it official, that his office was pursuing capital murder charges against former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe in the unfortunate death of Rayshard Brooks Saturday.
Brooks, Rolfe and Officer Devin Brosnan discussed Brooks alleged intoxication for well over 40 minutes in a cordial, calm manner before he was placed under arrest. Then, when he was about to be handcuffed, Brooks went ballistic, fighting and attempting to overpower both officers.
At one point (evidenced on one of many videos of the incident) Brooks is seen reaching for Brosnan’s gun. Fortunately, Brosnan was able to wrestle his hand away from the weapon, but Brooks managed to grab his Taser, strike Brosnan in the head with a closed fist, break away and ran.
Rolfe pursued across the parking lot. As Brooks reached one of the many vehicles in the lot, he turned and fired the Taser at Rolfe’s head. He missed, but Rolfe, in the heat of pursuit and an adrenaline rush, considered himself and Brosnan to be in danger and fired three shots, two of which struck Brooks in the back.
Brosnan, concussed and dazed, nonetheless rendered CPR until EMS arrived and took Brooks to a nearby hospital where he last died.
That is the story of the videos. Most of us have seen them over and over this week. That is not, however, the story Howard weaved in his media brief Wednesday. As stated above, he repeatedly lied, apparently to try and justify an unjustifiable series of charges against Rolfe and Brosnan.
Howard claimed, “ This was a cordial discussion, with Mr. Brooks never offering resistance.” Except for the fact he fought and overpowered both officers. He claimed, “Mr. Brooks never posed a threat to these officers.” Except for the fact he attempted to grab Brosnan’s firearm and did manage to get his Taser.
Howard also claimed, “Rolfe kicked Mr. Brooks while he was one the ground fighting for his life,” and “No medical assistance was rendered for over two minutes,” both of which are blatantly false statements contradicted by the many videos.
One has to wonder, why is there such an urgency to file what are essentially bogus charges he has no hope of proving in a court of law?
Atlanta police called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to do the enquiry into Brooks’ death.,The agency had barely begun their review before Howard’s grandstanding before his constituents Wednesday.
Officers Garrett Rolfe (pictured) and Devin Brosnan spent over 40 minutes talking with Rayshard Bradley (left) before placing him under arrest, when he began violently resisting, the result being his death. (Photo: Atlanta Police Department)
That is actually not surprising, given he is in a hotly contested runoff election this month. In addition, he is under investigation for sexual harassment of women in his office, and stealing from a non-profit. The charges he filed, the lives of the two officers he is playing with, are motivated by his desire not to be bounced out of office or criminally charged himself. His actions Wednesday prove that is exactly what he deserves.
GBI Director Vic Reynolds said in a Saturday afternoon press conference that the agency had reviewed surveillance video from the Wendy’s restaurant on University Avenue, as well as numerous social media videos of the incident. Reynolds said Brooks, 27, was suspected of a DUI offense after he was found asleep in his car, which was blocking the drive-thru window.
Reynolds said a physical confrontation took place, then Brooks got one of the officer’s tasers before fleeing from police.
“It appears that the gentleman has the taser in in his hand, runs a relatively short distance, and then appears to turn around and point the taser at the Atlanta officer,” Reynolds said. “That is when officer reached down and retrieved his weapon from his holster and discharges and fires at Mr. Brooks, who goes down.”
Reynolds’ statement completely contradicts Howard’s bold-faced lies, but the intrigue doesn’t stop there.
Reynolds said this timeline is what appears to the “naked eye,” but the surveillance video is being digitally enhanced for closer inspection. He also said he believes Brooks was shot three times, but had not seen the final report.
Reynolds said he has asked agents to expedite the investigation, citing the “tremendous amount of passion in the case.” Digital enhancement takes days, far more days than Howard gave the GBI before rushing to file charges so he can win a damned election.
“I humbly and respectively ask the public to wait for the video so they can see what we’ve been able to see before making a judgement,” Reynolds said.
Apparently, DA Howard is unwilling to honor that request from the head of the state’s criminal investigation agency.
Why is this happening? The answer is simple: Aside from Howard’s corrupt political ambitions, division is what Democrats, BLM and Antifa are selling. Keep America divided and at ideological war among our various factions, it is easier to conquer us.
Marxist forces abide and are at work in all three of those organizations. They are intent on destroying this democrat republic, ripping up our Constitution and enslaving us all. Marxists speak of equality and the fair distribution of wealth.
What they actually stand for is pure, unadulterated power. The recent riots and calls for defunding the police are another bold step in that direction. They stand for nothing of what their rhetoric speaks. They are out to destroy us, unless we destroy them first.
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