Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields has stepped down following a shooting Friday night where officers killed a man outside a Wendy’s fast food restaurant.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced at a press conference Saturday afternoon that assistant Police Chief Rodney Bryant would serve as the interim chief and that it was Shields decision to step down.
Shields made her decision following the shooting Friday night at a Wendy’s restaurant on University Ave that left Rayshard Brooks,27 dead.
The officers responded to a suspicious person call and when they arrived they found Brooks asleep inside his vehicle in the drive thru line blocking traffic.
Officers approached Brooks and performed a field sobriety test on him in which he failed.
While trying to arrest him officers say Brooks became irate and a struggle ensued between him and the officer.
Brooks somehow grabbed the officers taser and began running away and then turned around and pointed it at the officers when he was shot multiple times.
He was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.
The officer involved identity has not been released at this time.
Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields released a statement following the shooting saying “For more than two decades, I have served alongside some of the finest women and men in the Atlanta Police Department. Out of a deep and abiding love for this City and this department, 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. I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
GBI are investigating witness videos and surveillance footage in the area.
This investigation is ongoing.
