Brooks widow outraged over Fulton County DA's decision in fatal shooting
ATLANTA - Surrounded by more than a dozen supporters from the group The People's Uprising, the widow of Rayshard Brooks described the moment she learned Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis would not seek to prosecute the officer who killed Brooks on June 12, 2020.
"When I received this message on the media, I fell to my knees and I cried. My children couldn't understand why I was crying and I couldn't explain it to them," said Tomika Miller.
Miller said she was disgusted to hear the newly elected district attorney decided to hand over the case of the highly publicized deadly police shooting to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
"I stand here today to ask Fani to really think about what she really did because not only did you hurt me but you hurt everybody who was out here counting on you to do the right thing. You said you don't run from hard cases, but baby, you ran from this one," said Miller.
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State and local elected officials with the People's Uprising are now calling on Carr to hand the case over to a different jurisdiction for prosecution. Officer Garrett Rolfe is charged with the fatal shooting of Brooks. The deadly encounter was captured on Wendy's surveillance cameras last June after Brooks underwent field sobriety tests, then grabbed the officer's Taser during a scuffle in the parking lot.
"We want someone that's done it before and knows procedures and can give the family the justice that they deserve," said State Representative Erica Thomas of Austell, as she stood on University Avenue with Brooks' widow and other supporters.
"Anybody who thinks that was a justified shooting needs to rethink that because there is nothing just about a man being shot in his back, stood on and kicked," said Miller, referencing the actions APD Officer Devin Brosnan can be seen taking after Rolfe shot Brooks.
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A spokesman for Willis told FOX 5 he could not respond specifically to the Brooks family and supporters who gathered in Southwest Atlanta, but he did issue a statement saying in part,
"As the District Attorney stated in her letter to the Attorney General, the actions of Paul Howard, her predecessor, raise significant doubt that it is ethically appropriate for the Fulton County District Attorney’s office to handle these cases. His conduct in handling these matters is subject to a criminal investigation by the GBI and may have violated the ethics rules governing prosecutors," Jeff Disantis said in the statement.
But Miller said she will continue her pursuit for Rolfe's prosecution.
"Enough is enough. I am tired and I want justice not just for my husband but for all who have been unjust by the police," Miller said Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Fulton County District Attorney's Office wrote:
"As the District Attorney stated in her letter to the Attorney General, the actions of Paul Howard, her predecessor, raise significant doubt that it is ethically appropriate for the Fulton County District Attorney’s office to handle these cases. His conduct in handling these matters is subject to a criminal investigation by the GBI and may have violated the ethics rules governing prosecutors.
"As stated by Georgia State University law professor Clark Cunningham, a legal ethics expert, "The best thing to insulate the further prosecution from that horrible beginning is to hand it to somebody who is disinterested. You have a chance for a much cleaner prosecution." That is why the District Attorney made this decision. To do otherwise would risk the goal of ultimately achieving justice in these cases."
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