Detective Says Rayshard Brooks' Killing Was Justified

In an unsurprising move, an Atlanta detective involved in the investigation of the killing of Rayshard Brooks by officer Garrett Rolfe is siding with Rolfe, saying that the cop, who was fired and is facing felony murder charges, was justified in firing his gun at Brooks.

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Al Hogan, the Atlanta Police Department homicide detective assigned to the case, says in fact that he would have charged Brooks with multiple crimes.

“Atlanta PD detective assigned to the [Rayshard Brooks] investigation says he would have charged Brooks — not Rolfe — with 10 counts, including multiple felonies,” posted Philip Holloway, a legal analyst for WSB Radio. Captioning a screenshot of Hogan’s letter, Holloway noted, “Usually law enforcement are witnesses for the state but this is from a defense filing.”

Hogan was assigned to the Brooks case and arrived on scene shortly after the incident, he explains in the letter.

“I am the Homicide/MIT (Major Incident Team) investigator that was assigned the case involving Officers Rolfe and [Devin] Bronson regarding their interaction with Rashard (sic) Brooks,” the detective wrote in the letter, which consistently misspells Brooks’ first name.

“I was calling in from my home shortly after the incident occurred and began my investigation upon my arrival to the scene,” Hogan continued. “I gathered all the audio and video evidence as well as interviewed witnesses that would speak with me on scene.”

“My investigation showed that [Rayshard] Brooks’s behavior did in fact warrant several federal charges, but before I was able to pursue those charges, I was informed that [Rayshard] Brooks had died, negating the necessity for that portion of my investigation,” he added.

Hogan believes Brooks should have faced ten charges, including multiple felonies, if he had lived. The list of charges can be found here.

Brooks was killed in a Wendy’s parking lot on June 12 after falling asleep in his car in the drive thru. A restaurant employee called 911, prompting officers to arrive on the scene. What started out as a cordial conversation between Brooks, who was unarmed and admitted he was intoxicated, and Rolfe, turned deadly when Brooks tried to flee the scene on foot and Rolfe shot him dead.