Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard, Jr. announced charges on Wednesday afternoon in the death of Rayshard Brooks last weekend at a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta.
Brooks was killed by police after resisting arrest, wrestling with the police, punching one officer in the face, stealing the officer’s taser and then firing on the officers.
DA Howard, Jr. says officials spoke to three witnesses and reviewed eight videos of the attempted arrest and shooting.
Eleven charges were announced including felony murder by the officer involved in the shooting of Rayshard Brooks.
TRENDING: Fulton County DA Announces 11 Charges, Including Felony Murder on the Officer Involved in Fatal Shooting of Rayshard Brooks – Says Brooks Never Informed He Was Under Arrest?
And then he added this: Rayshard Brooks was never notified he was under arrest(?)
#BREAKING: DA Howard says Rayshard Brooks’ was never informed that he was under arrest. WATCH: https://t.co/izwmSdUyF3 pic.twitter.com/NucvsAVvy5
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) June 17, 2020
DA Howard added that Brooks was calm and cordial!
Fulton Co. DA: Prosecutors issue warrants in deadly shooting of #RayshardBrooks.
“Mr. Brooks was calm, he was cordial and really displayed a cooperative nature.” Prosecutors say he followed every instruction for 41 minutes and 17 seconds.@nbcbayarea— Christine Ni (@christineniSF) June 17, 2020
We must have been watching the wrong video.
DA Howard charged the officer who shot Brooks with felony murder and other charges.
But DA Paul Howard is not without scandal.
The Fulton County District Attorney is under investigation for funneling at least $140,000 in Atlanta funds to supplement his own salary.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported in May:
The GBI has opened an investigation of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard and his use of a nonprofit to funnel at least $140,000 in city of Atlanta funds to supplement his salary, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News have learned.
The criminal investigation comes at a time when Howard, Fulton’s DA since 1997, is being challenged in the Democratic primary for reelection and is facing allegations of sexual harassment, which he strongly denies.
In a statement issued Monday, Howard predicted he will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
“This is not the first time what would be considered as an administrative matter for other Georgia elected officials is turned over to the GBI for investigation when it involves the Fulton County district attorney,” he said. This was in reference to the agency’s 2014 investigation of Howard’s use of money forfeited by criminals to pay for galas and dinners for his staff and their families.
In that GBI probe, prompted by media reports, “I was totally exonerated,” Howard said. As for the ongoing investigation, he said, “(I)f the facts are followed, it is my expectation that the result will be exactly the same.”
Howard said the timing of this investigation, weeks away from the June 9 primary, “is not lost on me.”
Howard is also facing a state ethics complaint for not disclosing he was a chief executive of the nonprofit, People Partnering for Progress, in personal financial statements. On April 15, the Georgia Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission charged Howard with a dozen disclosure violations, most of them involving PPP.
Paul Howard is NO FAN of the police.
Howard is in a runoff with Fani Willis in the race for Fulton County district attorney. Howard has labeled Willis a friend of police and a Republican.
