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Atlanta Police Chief Resigns After Suspect Shot During Struggle

REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

Patricia Patnode Contributor
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Atlanta police shot a man in a Wendy’s parking lot Friday evening after he resisted arrest, leading to Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigning on Saturday.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, was reported to police for falling asleep in a car while in a drive-thru lane.

According to Georgia authorities, he failed a sobriety test and then physically struggled with the responding officers. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the officers involved and released footage of the shooting to the public.

Shields resigned shortly after the footage became public. She said in a statement Saturday, “I offered to step aside as police chief. APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department.”

Later in the press conference, Shields recommended the “immediate termination” of the officer who shot Brooks.

“Ultimately, when the officer used a taser, it was ineffective for the suspect … It did not stop the aggression of the fight. And so the suspect was able to take the officer’s taser from him,” Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek told reporters at the scene Friday night.

On Saturday, a large group of people gathered outside the fast food restaurant to protest the shooting of Brooks. (RELATED: ‘I Only Kneel For One Person’: Black Georgia State Trooper Refuses To Kneel At Black Lives Matter Protest)