Rep. Maxine Waters called the police officers who responded to the scene where Rayshard Brooks was eventually shot and killed “racist, ignorant, & stupid.”
“Watch the video of the killing of #RayshardBrooks. A senseless & needless killing by a murderous cop! Police reform is NOT ENOUGH,” Waters tweeted Monday. “Getting rid of serial, racist, ignorant, & stupid cops must be a top priority. Let’s call them out! Police protective unions, you’ve got to go too!”
Watch the video of the killing of #RayshardBrooks. A senseless & needless killing by a murderous cop! Police reform is NOT ENOUGH. Getting rid of serial, racist, ignorant, & stupid cops must be a top priority. Let’s call them out! Police protective unions, you’ve got to go too!
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) June 15, 2020
Brooks, a black man, was shot and killed by then-officer Garrett Rolfe of the Atlanta Police Department last week after officers responded to the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant due to someone blocking the drive-through line.
Officers said when they arrived on the scene, they suspected that Brooks had been driving under the influence and had passed out in his car. Body camera footage and videos taken by bystanders at the scene show officers administering Brooks a breathalyzer test, which he failed.
As police attempted to take Brooks into custody, he resisted, wrestling with them on the ground and taking one of their Tasers. Brooks ran from the scene with the Taser in his hand, at one point turning around and firing it at police.
Rolfe fired his gun three times, hitting Brooks and killing him. Rolfe has been fired, and another officer has been placed on administrative leave. Rolfe has since been charged with felony murder.
Police use of force has been a major topic of debate in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd, another black man who died when a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
Congress has been working on potential reforms to law enforcement this week, with Republicans introducing a measure Wednesday that Democrats say does not go far enough.
Days after Floyd’s death, Waters suggested that President Trump’s “dog whistling” to white police officers led to the incident.
“And I’m thinking about the way that the president conducts himself. In a way, he’s dog whistling, and I think that they’re feeling that they can get away with this kind of treatment,” she said. “And I’m just so sorry about the loss of another life.”
