Atlanta officers protest murder charges

Police officers in Atlanta walked off their shifts and refused to respond to calls because they felt “abandoned, betrayed, used in a political game,” said Vince Champion, southeast regional director for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers. On Wednesday, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced felony murder charges against former Officer Garrett Rolfe in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks on Friday. Since then, an unknown number of Atlanta officers called out of work to protest the move. City officials assured residents they had enough police on hand to respond to emergencies.

What else is happening with the case? Rolfe’s lawyers issued a statement saying he opened fire on Brooks after he heard a sound “like a gunshot and saw a flash in front of him.” Brooks had run off with a second officer’s stun gun after a scuffle before the shooting. Howard said the second officer, Devin Brosnan, was cooperating with prosecutors and would testify. But one of his attorneys, Amanda Clark Palmer, denied that. Brosnan also faces charges, including aggravated assault. Brooks’ funeral is set for Tuesday at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s congregation.

Dig deeper: Read Marvin Olasky’s cover story about a Christian response to the protests against police.