Garrett Rolfe, the former officer charged with the murder of Rayshard Brooks, has his job back with the Atlanta Police Department.
According to a report from the AJC, Rolfe was reinstated by the city’s Civil Service Board, which decided that the officer had not received his right to due process. Rolfe had appealed to the board to get his job back.
Rolfe fired the fatal shot that killed DUI suspect Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot on University Avenue last June. Brooks scuffled with Rolfe and another officer, Devin Brosnan, before grabbing one of the officer’s tasers.
According to a statement from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ office, Rolfe will remain on administrative leave until charges against the officer are resolved.
Bottoms also issued the following statement: “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. Had immediate action not been taken, I firmly believe that the public safety crisis we experienced during that time would have been significantly worse.”
Brooks’ death came at the height of demonstrations and civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Further unrest followed, including the shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner, and the resignation of APD Chief Erika Shields.