White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that President Trump wants the officers involved in the death of Rayshard Brooks to get a “fair shake.”
McEnany noted that Brooks had resisted the police by stealing a Taser and pointing it at the officers moments before he was killed. She said that Trump believed officers are often not given a fair case when it comes to incidents such as the one involving Brooks.
“The president had said this was a terrible situation. It was sad. But he noted last night that, look, you cannot resist a police officer. If you have a disagreement with them, he said, you take it up with them after, and he’s reiterated he hopes this officer gets a fair shake in court. It’s up to the justice system now. It’s up to the state courts, but he wants the police officer to get a fair shake because all too often, police officers do not,” McEnany said.
Brooks, a 27-year-old black man, was being arrested by officers after failing a sobriety test near a Wendy’s in Atlanta. According to the police department, Brooks stole one of the officer’s Tasers as he was being handcuffed. Video from the scene shows Brooks running away from the scene before turning back and pointing the Taser at the officers. One of the officers responded by shooting and killing Brooks.
The two officers who were at the scene have both been charged. Among other charges, the officer who shot Brooks, Garrett Rolfe, was charged with felony murder, and the other officer, Devin Brosnan, was charged with aggravated assault.
The charges against Brosnan and Rolfe were announced before the Georgia Bureau of Investigations was able to complete its investigation into the situation. The bureau said it was “not consulted” by the district attorney before charges were filed.
