Atlanta Police Fatally Shoot Black Man After Report He Was Asleep In His Car

Atlanta police, responding to a call about someone sleeping in a car, shot and killed a Black man at a Wendy’s restaurant Friday.

Police said that Rayshard Brooks, 27, resisted arrest following a failed sobriety test. But video posted to social media shows Brooks running away from police before he is shot off-screen.

Police were called to the Wendy’s restaurant Friday night after receiving a report that a man was sleeping in his car, which was parked in the drive-thru.

Two officers found Brooks in the vehicle and gave him a field sobriety test, which they said he failed. While attempting to arrest Brooks, police said he resisted. 

“After failing the test, the officers attempted to place the male subject into custody,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Nelly Miles said in a statement. “During the arrest, the male subject resisted and a struggle ensued. The officer deployed a Taser.”

Witnesses said Brooks grabbed the Taser from the officer, according to the GBI.

Brooks was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The GBI said it’s now investigating the incident.

Video posted to social media shows people gathered in the Wendy’s parking lot condemning the shooting. Witnesses said Brooks was unarmed.

The officer involved in the shooting has not been identified.