Video footage released by the Atlanta Police Department show officers talking for nearly half an hour with Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot. The encounter would end with Brooks fatally shot. Hours later came the announcement that the and that the officer who shot Brooks had been fired.Former Officer Garrett Rolfe is 27, the same age Brooks was. Attorneys for Brooks’ family say he left behind four children, three daughters and a stepson.“Are you not tired of seeing cases like this happen?” attorney Chris Stewart, hired by Brooks’ family, asked reporters at a press conference later...…Video footage released by the Atlanta Police Department show officers talking for nearly half an hour with Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot. The encounter would end with Brooks fatally shot. Hours later came the announcement that the and that the officer who shot Brooks had been fired.Former Officer Garrett Rolfe is 27, the same age Brooks was. Attorneys for Brooks’ family say he left behind four children, three daughters and a stepson.“Are you not tired of seeing cases like this happen?” attorney Chris Stewart, hired by Brooks’ family, asked reporters at a press conference later...WW…

William “Roddie” Bryan, who shot the video capturing the final seconds of Ahmaud Arbery’s life, has been arrested and charged with his murder, the GBI announced Thursday.Bryan, 50, has maintained his innocence. On Monday, his attorney, Kevin Gough, insisted his client had no communication with the McMichaels the day of the shooting.“If there was a lynch mob or posse, Mr. Bryan was unaware of it,” Gough said.» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Cox Media Group station Action News Jax interviewed Bryan recently:Bryan claimed he got involved only after hearing the commotion generated by the pursuit...…William “Roddie” Bryan, who shot the video capturing the final seconds of Ahmaud Arbery’s life, has been arrested and charged with his murder, the GBI announced Thursday.Bryan, 50, has maintained his innocence. On Monday, his attorney, Kevin Gough, insisted his client had no communication with the McMichaels the day of the shooting.“If there was a lynch mob or posse, Mr. Bryan was unaware of it,” Gough said.» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Cox Media Group station Action News Jax interviewed Bryan recently:Bryan claimed he got involved only after hearing the commotion generated by the pursuit...WW…

Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson and the prosecutor she contacted to assist in the investigation into Ahmaud Arbery’s death didn’t follow state guidelines for how prosecutors handle conflicts of interests, and in doing so helped fuel questions of fairness from the outset of the case, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review has found.MORE: Almost from the moment Johnson learned that one of her former investigators was involved in the fatal shooting of Arbery, she contradicted the guidance and the state’s training for how district attorneys should handle conflicts, according to...…Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson and the prosecutor she contacted to assist in the investigation into Ahmaud Arbery’s death didn’t follow state guidelines for how prosecutors handle conflicts of interests, and in doing so helped fuel questions of fairness from the outset of the case, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review has found.MORE: Almost from the moment Johnson learned that one of her former investigators was involved in the fatal shooting of Arbery, she contradicted the guidance and the state’s training for how district attorneys should handle conflicts, according to...WW…

Rallies for justice extended outside downtown Atlanta on Saturday as events were held throughout the metro area, including in Cobb, Forsyth, Fayette and Gwinnett counties, where thousands participated.The rallies — organized to protest recent killings including George Floyd in Minneapolis — extended to a ninth day in Atlanta. An 8 p.m. curfew originally in place in the city was lifted Saturday by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. The mayor has not yet made a determination for Sunday.COMPLETE COVERAGE: Article continues belowALSO: Events were held in Cumming, Marietta, Athens and...…Rallies for justice extended outside downtown Atlanta on Saturday as events were held throughout the metro area, including in Cobb, Forsyth, Fayette and Gwinnett counties, where thousands participated.The rallies — organized to protest recent killings including George Floyd in Minneapolis — extended to a ninth day in Atlanta. An 8 p.m. curfew originally in place in the city was lifted Saturday by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. The mayor has not yet made a determination for Sunday.COMPLETE COVERAGE: Article continues belowALSO: Events were held in Cumming, Marietta, Athens and...WW…

Protesters made their way from downtown Atlanta and into Buckhead late Friday, damaging businesses, looting and leaving behind a path of destruction.Atlanta police officers were joined by other metro law enforcement agencies in trying to thwart the protesters. Late Friday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp deployed members of the National Guard to the Lenox area.What began Friday afternoon as a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis turned into chaos as marchers returned from the state capital to the CNN Center. Various fires were set downtown and in Buckhead, and early...…Protesters made their way from downtown Atlanta and into Buckhead late Friday, damaging businesses, looting and leaving behind a path of destruction.Atlanta police officers were joined by other metro law enforcement agencies in trying to thwart the protesters. Late Friday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp deployed members of the National Guard to the Lenox area.What began Friday afternoon as a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis turned into chaos as marchers returned from the state capital to the CNN Center. Various fires were set downtown and in Buckhead, and early...WW…

A man was charged with aggravated assault after stabbing two people at a MARTA station Tuesday morning, authorities said. And Atlanta police believe he may be the same person wanted in connection with a triple stabbing Monday in another part of the city.Ahmad Jameel Rasheed, 32, was arrested after Atlanta and MARTA police identified him as the attacker in the train station stabbing.Officers were sent to a location between the Mercy Care clinic and the King Memorial MARTA station on Decatur Street just after 9 a.m., Atlanta police spokesman Officer Steve Avery told AJC.com.Investigators...…A man was charged with aggravated assault after stabbing two people at a MARTA station Tuesday morning, authorities said. And Atlanta police believe he may be the same person wanted in connection with a triple stabbing Monday in another part of the city.Ahmad Jameel Rasheed, 32, was arrested after Atlanta and MARTA police identified him as the attacker in the train station stabbing.Officers were sent to a location between the Mercy Care clinic and the King Memorial MARTA station on Decatur Street just after 9 a.m., Atlanta police spokesman Officer Steve Avery told AJC.com.Investigators...WW…

Involved in a car crash within Atlanta city limits? Unless you’re injured, you can no longer count on Atlanta police to respond.“This puts the onus squarely on the driver,” said Bruce Hagen, an Atlanta attorney specializing in automobile accidents for the last 35 years.The policy change came with little fanfare. . The Atlanta 311 site is a customer-based information portal for city services with 1,866 Facebook followers.The change was made, the Atlanta Police Department said, “To protect the health and safety of our staff and customers, and to help mitigate the the impact of COVID-19.”...…Involved in a car crash within Atlanta city limits? Unless you’re injured, you can no longer count on Atlanta police to respond.“This puts the onus squarely on the driver,” said Bruce Hagen, an Atlanta attorney specializing in automobile accidents for the last 35 years.The policy change came with little fanfare. . The Atlanta 311 site is a customer-based information portal for city services with 1,866 Facebook followers.The change was made, the Atlanta Police Department said, “To protect the health and safety of our staff and customers, and to help mitigate the the impact of COVID-19.”...WW…

No one quite knew what to expect when protesters, evicted from the property five days earlier, announced a “Take Back the Wendy’s” rally for Saturday afternoon.The restaurant at 125 University Avenue, no longer in business after it was gutted by arsonists a few weeks earlier, has been the scene of peaceful protests against police brutality and racial injustice.But there were also concerns about a group of armed civilians believed responsible for at least two other shootings, at least one beating and multiple reports of threats against people approaching the site.Critics assailed city...…No one quite knew what to expect when protesters, evicted from the property five days earlier, announced a “Take Back the Wendy’s” rally for Saturday afternoon.The restaurant at 125 University Avenue, no longer in business after it was gutted by arsonists a few weeks earlier, has been the scene of peaceful protests against police brutality and racial injustice.But there were also concerns about a group of armed civilians believed responsible for at least two other shootings, at least one beating and multiple reports of threats against people approaching the site.Critics assailed city...WW…

Gov. Brian Kemp signaled he’s open to legislation that imposes additional penalties on hate crimes as advocates demand its passage amid outrage over the shooting death of an unarmed African-American jogger near Brunswick.The governor said in a statement that “conversations about legislation are already underway, and we will work through the process when the General Assembly reconvenes” in June, though he stopped short of endorsing the proposal.Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have their calls for hate-crimes legislation as details of the Feb. 23 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery...…Gov. Brian Kemp signaled he’s open to legislation that imposes additional penalties on hate crimes as advocates demand its passage amid outrage over the shooting death of an unarmed African-American jogger near Brunswick.The governor said in a statement that “conversations about legislation are already underway, and we will work through the process when the General Assembly reconvenes” in June, though he stopped short of endorsing the proposal.Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have their calls for hate-crimes legislation as details of the Feb. 23 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery...WW…

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Sunday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the Ahmaud Arbery murder case, focusing in part on discussions between prosecutors from the state’s Brunswick and Waycross judicial districts.“We are committed to a complete and transparent review of how the Ahmaud Arbery case was handled from the outset,” Carr said. “The family, the community and the state of Georgia deserve answers, and we will work with others in law enforcement at the state and federal level to find those answers.”Jackie Johnson, district attorney for the...…Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Sunday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the Ahmaud Arbery murder case, focusing in part on discussions between prosecutors from the state’s Brunswick and Waycross judicial districts.“We are committed to a complete and transparent review of how the Ahmaud Arbery case was handled from the outset,” Carr said. “The family, the community and the state of Georgia deserve answers, and we will work with others in law enforcement at the state and federal level to find those answers.”Jackie Johnson, district attorney for the...WW…