ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia authorities said Saturday a man was shot and killed in a late night struggle with Atlanta police outside a fast food restaurant after he failed a field sobriety test and resisted arrest.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was asked by the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the shooting, which happened at a Wendy’s restaurant late Friday. The GBI said its agents were reviewing video taken by witnesses. The agency also posted to Twitter a plea for witnesses to come forward, saying some at the scene “chose not to be interviewed by GBI agents.”
Numerous videos posted to social media sites showed a small crowd gathered at the scene and protesting the police shooting.
Officers were responding to a complaint of a man in a vehicle parked in the drive-thru who was asleep, causing customers to drive around the vehicle.
After he failed a field sobriety test, the officers attempted to place the man into custody, according to the GBI. But he resisted and a struggle ensued, leading the officer to deploy a Taser.
The GBI said witnesses saw the man grab the Taser away from the officer.
“It has also been reported that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser,” the GBI said in a statement.
The man was transported to a local hospital where he died after surgery, the statement said. The GBI later identified him as 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks of Atlanta.
One officer was treated for an injury and discharged from the hospital.
The officer involved in the shooting was not identified. Once its investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review.
