The city of Atlanta on Wednesday reinstated a police officer fired over the fatal shooting of a black man in 2020 after an oversight board ruled that he was terminated without due process.
Rolfe is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and other crimes in the case. A trial date has not been set.
The city said in a statement that he would remain on administrative duty.
The mayor defended her initial decision to fire Rolfe. "Given the volatile state of our city and nation last summer, the decision to terminate this officer, after he fatally shot Mr Brooks in the back, was the right thing to do," she said in a statement.
The June 12 shooting heightened tensions across the US over police brutality and racism in US policing and led to sometimes violent protests in Atlanta and other cities. Brooks was shot twice in the back.
The Civil Service Board ruled that Rolfe was not offered the opportunity to respond to the allegations that led to his dismissal. Gerald Griggs, vice president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP, the largest US civil rights organization, said under no circumstances should Rolfe go back on street patrol.
"He does not deserve to be a police officer in this or any city, and we are going to protest," Griggs said. "The community is upset and this will not stand."
People celebrate the guilty verdict of former police officer Derek Chauvin in Los Angeles, California on April 20. Photo: VCG
The Atlanta Civil Service Board said the city failed to follow its own procedures when Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms dismissed Garrett Rolfe, who is white, without a hearing. He shot Rayshard Brooks, 27, in the back in June outside a Wendy's restaurant.Rolfe is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and other crimes in the case. A trial date has not been set.
The city said in a statement that he would remain on administrative duty.
The mayor defended her initial decision to fire Rolfe. "Given the volatile state of our city and nation last summer, the decision to terminate this officer, after he fatally shot Mr Brooks in the back, was the right thing to do," she said in a statement.
The June 12 shooting heightened tensions across the US over police brutality and racism in US policing and led to sometimes violent protests in Atlanta and other cities. Brooks was shot twice in the back.
The Civil Service Board ruled that Rolfe was not offered the opportunity to respond to the allegations that led to his dismissal. Gerald Griggs, vice president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP, the largest US civil rights organization, said under no circumstances should Rolfe go back on street patrol.
"He does not deserve to be a police officer in this or any city, and we are going to protest," Griggs said. "The community is upset and this will not stand."
RELATED ARTICLES
