Three men carrying long guns say that police are no longer allowed at the shooting site where Rayshard Brooks died.
“The police aren’t allowed here because they’re not here to protect us,” one of the armed men, who are black, told Fox News’s Steve Harrigan Tuesday night while standing near the Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was killed after being shot by police. Brooks had failed a sobriety test and managed to get a hold of a police taser and fired it at the officers while attempting to flee.
One man, holding a shotgun, told Harrigan that he was armed because police officers won’t protect him. Another man said he is no longer confident police aim to “serve and protect.”
Harrigan said a roadblock was present, and no police were in the area.
“APD is monitoring the situation and plans to coordinate with community leaders and the Wendy’s property owner to address security issues and help preserve peace for this community as soon as possible,” the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement Wednesday morning.
The report is reminiscent of Seattle’s “autonomous zone” where protesters upset about the death of George Floyd on May 25, took control of roughly six city blocks and kept police out with the mayor’s blessing.
The officer who shot and killed Brooks has been charged with murder and would be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
