In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Devin Brosnan, one of the two Atlanta police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, said that if he could go back, he would not do anything differently. While Brosnan emphasized his remorse for Brook’s family, he insists that he did nothing wrong in the incident.
“It's a tragedy,” Brosnan said. “At the end of the day, someone lost their life.” He then shifted to defending himself, saying "I feel like my side wasn't really heard and given the short timeframe it's hard for anybody to understand all the facts and the whole circumstances around it," adding “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The fatal incident occurred on Friday, June 12th, when Brosnan and his partnering officer Garret Rolfe attempted to arrest Brooks after he passed out in a Wendy’s drive through. A struggle ensued, where Brooks took Rolfe’s taser. Rolfe then shot Brooks twice in his back before Brosnan stepped on him to pin him down. "It's totally just an instinctual thing for my own safety," Brosnan said, stating that he removed his foot as soon as he determined Brooks couldn’t reach the taser.
Since the incident, Brosnan has been charged with aggravated assault and several violations of oath by a public officer, including failing to render aid to Brooks in a timely manner. He has been placed on administrative duty and is free on a $50,000 signature bond. Rolfe has been charged with felony murder. Brosnan has decided to become a witness for the prosecution and will testify against Rolfe.
