Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said the fatal police shooting of a black man in Atlanta isn’t as “clear-cut” as George Floyd’s death in police custody.
“I think this is a situation that is not clear-cut, you know, like the callous murder that occurred in Minnesota,” Carson told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. “It really requires some heads of people who actually know what should be done under these circumstances to make judgments.”
An officer fired approximately three shots at 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, killing him on Friday night after he resisted arrest and appeared to aim a Taser at officers. Officers were called after a complaint was made about a man sleeping in a car blocking a Wendy’s drive-thru.
The officer who shot Brooks, identified as Garrett Rolfe, was fired, while another involved in Brooks’ detainment, Devin Brosnan, was placed on administrative leave, the police department announced Sunday. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields also resigned Saturday following the incident.
Carson said there needs to be more information on how the police are trained and that the nation needs to hear from officers who can answer more questions.
“We don’t know what was in the mind of the officer when somebody turns around and points a weapon at him. Is he absolutely sure that that’s a nonlethal weapon?” he said. “You know, this is not a clear-cut circumstance. Now, could it have been handled better? Certainly, in retrospect, there probably are other ways to do things. … We the public don’t know. Is there a reason that they don’t use night sticks or those expandable clubs to subdue somebody who’s resisting? We don’t know the answer to that. There are qualified officers who would know the answer to that.”
