What happened in Atlanta today is not connected to the criminal charges, which remain pending against Rolfe.
Rather, today’s decision involves Rolfe’s appeal of his summary termination by then Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields. As the decision recounts, in the late-night hours of June 12, 2020, the encounter between Brooks and two Atlanta Police Officers took place in the parking lot of Wendy’s.
After the fatal shooting, during the day on June 13, 2020, and under a fear that the city was going to erupt in violence that night, Assistant Police Chief Todd Coyt signed a Notice of Proposed Adverse Action (NPAA) on behalf of the APD, recommending “Dismissal” because the Rolfe’s actions deemed contrary to and in violation of APD prohibiting the use of “Unnecessary Force.”
Black Lives Matter protest erupts in Atlanta after police department REINSTATES white officer Garrett Rolfe as he awaits murder trial for shooting Rayshard Brooks in Wendy s drive-thru
Garrett Rolfe, 27, fatally shot Rayshard Brooks, also 27, twice in the back as he ran from officers outside a Wendy s in Atlanta on June 12
Rolfe was fired by the Atlanta Police Department the following day
The Atlanta Civil Service Board reversed the termination of Rolfe s employment on Wednesday
Dozens of Black Lives Matter protesters descended on Atlanta City Hall to express outrage at the decision
Rolfe is awaiting trial after being charged with 11 counts over Brooks death, including felony murder
The Atlanta Civil Service Board released the decision on Wednesday. Author: 11Alive Staff, Jonathan Raymond (11Alive) Published: 9:13 AM CDT May 5, 2021 Updated: 1:05 PM CDT May 5, 2021
ATLANTA Garrett Rolfe, the fired Atlanta Police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy s parking lot last summer, has been reinstated by the Atlanta Civil Service Board. Due to the City’s failure to comply with several provisions of the Code and the information received during witnesses’ testimony, the Board concludes the Appellant was not afforded his right to due process. Therefore, the Board GRANTS the Appeal of Garrett Rolfe and revokes his dismissal as an employee of the APD.
Updated May 6, 2021 at 9:26 AM ET
An Atlanta oversight board has ordered the reinstatement of Garrett Rolfe, the fired police officer charged with murder in the death of Rayshard Brooks, based on technicalities about dismissal procedures under the Atlanta city code.
Rolfe will remain on administrative leave until his criminal charges are resolved, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement to NPR.
The department filed paperwork to dismiss Rolfe the day after he shot Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, in the parking lot of a Wendy s on June 12. Rolfe has since been charged with murder, though his criminal case has been bogged down by procedural delays.