The Atlanta Police Department in the United States has rejected claims that its officers in several zones are not responding to 911 calls hours after a fired policeman was charged with felony murder with a possible life sentence for shooting an African American man during the arrest
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2020) The Atlanta Police Department in the United States has rejected claims that its officers in several zones are not responding to 911 calls hours after a fired policeman was charged with felony murder with a possible life sentence for shooting an African American man during the arrest.
The CNN reported on Wednesday evening, citing sources, that an "unusual" number of officers had called out sick during the late shift, with the department not responding to calls in three of its six zones. Speculations have emerged that the police officers were ignoring the calls in solidarity with the officer behind the death of the African American man.
"Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate. The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift. We have enough resources to maintain operations & remain able to respond to incidents," the Atlanta Police Department said in response to the reports.
Last week, Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot dead by a police officer in Atlanta during arrest on the heels of weeks-long nationwide riots against police brutality and racial discrimination in the wake of George Floyd's killing,
Brooks tried to flee after failing a sobriety test at the drive thru of a local Wendy's, where he fell asleep in his car, obstructing the customer line. Video footage from the scene shows how he resists the arrest, grabs a Taser from one of the officers and starts running away, while chased by the officer. Then, the sound of gunshots is heard.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard concluded on Wednesday that Brooks did not pose any immediate threat of death or serious injury to the police officers. Garrett Rolfe, an officer who shot Brooks dead, is facing 11 charges, including felony murder, and another officer involved in the incident is facing three charges.
