Revealed: officer who killed Rayshard Brooks accused of covering up 2015 shooting
- Garrett Rolfe involved in shooting of black man Jackie Harris
- Court documents show police officers did not report incident
Garrett Rolfe and two other officers involved in shooting that left black man Jackie Harris with injuries, but court papers show incident was not reported
www.theguardian.com
The
Atlanta police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks was accused of covering up an earlier shooting he and other officers participated in, according to a judge who reviewed the case.
Garrett Rolfe was fired by the Atlanta police department following what officials called the “unjustified” killing of Brooks on Friday. Rolfe shot Brooks twice in the back as Brooks ran away after a scuffle with officers when they attempted to arrest him. It was among a recent spate of killings of black men by white police officers, which have ignited a national uprising against police brutality and racism.
In August 2015, Rolfe and two other officers opened fire on Jackie Jermaine Harris, who they chased after he was caught driving a stolen truck, the Guardian can reveal after reviewing court documents on the incident.
However, the shooting was not reported by the police involved. Harris, like Brooks, is African American.
Harris rammed a police vehicle and officers shot at him several times inside the truck, striking Harris once and collapsing his lung. Harris survived and later pleaded guilty to charges including theft, property damage, fleeing arrest and damaging a police vehicle.
Judge Doris L Downs, during a 2016 court hearing, called the case a “disaster” and said “it’s the wildest case I’ve seen in my 34 years here.”
Downs said she was so troubled by officers failing to report the shooting that she wanted the matter investigated.
“None of the police put in the report that they shot the man – none of them. And they sent him to Grady [Memorial Hospital] with collapsed lungs and everything, and the report doesn’t mention it,” Downs said.
“I am ethically going to be required to turn all of them in.”
Downs even suggested state and federal authorities get involved.
She said: “What the police did was wrong, and they will have to answer for what they did.”
It is unclear if any action was taken. Downs could not be reached for comment.
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