Prosecutor drops charges against police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, saying they 'committed no crimes'

• A Georgia prosecutor has dropped charges against two Atlanta police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks.
• Prosecutors had initially charged Rolfe with felony murder and Brosnan with aggravated assault.

A prosecutor has dropped charges against two Atlanta police officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks two years ago, saying the pair "committed no crimes" in the incident.

Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, said at a press conference on Tuesday that Officer Garrett Rolfe, who fatally shot Brooks, and Officer Devin Brosnan, who was at the scene of the 2020 incident, faced a "quickly evolving" situation on the night of the shooting.

"Both acted as reasonable officers would under the facts and circumstances of the events of that night," Skandalakis said, CNN reported. "Both acted in accordance with well-established law and were justified in the use of force regarding the situation."

Prosecutors had initially charged Rolfe with felony murder and Brosnan with aggravated assault.

Rolfe fatally shot Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, on June 12, 2020 at an Atlanta Wendy's after an employee called the police to report that Brooks had fallen asleep in his car, saying he seemed intoxicated but that he was unarmed.

The police interaction with Brooks was initially peaceful. That changed when Brooks did not pass a breathalyzer test and police attempted to arrest him. Body camera footage showed Brooks resisted arrest, punching Officer Brosnan — he suffered a concussion — grabbing his taser, attempting to flee the scene, and firing the less-lethal weapon back in Rolfe's direction.

Rolfe opened fire, shooting Brooks twice in the back.

The killing, coming just after the murder of George Floyd, sparked protests, with arsonists burning down the Wendy's where the shooting occurred. In a statement at the time, NAACP President Derrick Johnson accused law enforcement of using lethal means "as the only resort, rather than the last resort."

Following Tuesday's announcement, Gerald Griggs, president of the Georgia branch of the NAACP, said the matter should have put to a grand jury, telling local outlet 11Alive that "only the citizens of Fulton County should determine if this case should proceed forward."

The New York Times reported that Skandalakis — who Georgia's attorney general, Republican Chis Carr, appointed to handle the case — said Brooks taking the officer's taser is what justified deadly force.

Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Lewis said he disagreed with that assessment.

"Seeing the charges dismissed truly pains me," Lewis said in a statement, CBS46 reported. "Rayshard Brooks was asleep at the wheel in a drive-thru line. That's all. I understand the need for accountability, but he didn't have to lose his life."

Rolfe and Brosnan are still employed and are on administrative duty, the Atlanta Police Department told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"Both officers will undergo Georgia POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training Council) recertification and training," the department said.