New Prosecutor Assigned to Case Against Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks

By Alyssa Wilson Published: July 26, 2021

New Prosecutor Assigned to Case Against Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks

A protester holds up a sign on Saturday, June 13, 2020, near the Wendy's restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police Friday evening following a struggle in the restaurant's drive-thru line in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

By: Alyssa Wilson

The Georgia Attorney General has assigned a new prosecutor to the criminal case against the police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Peter Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, was assigned to serve as the substitute prosecutor in the case by Attorney General Chris Carr.

The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia is a government agency that supports state prosecutors and their staff by providing services, including training and professional development.

Last month, a judge granted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis the request to recuse herself from the case. Although she has only served since January, she said the actions conducted by Paul Howard, who held the role before her, made it inappropriate for her office to handle the prosecution of officer Garrett Rolfe.

Howard, fighting to keep his job amid a challenging Democratic primary, announced the charges against Rolfe and another police officer less than a week after the June 2020 shooting.

Willis alleges Howard’s behavior while in office may have violated Georgia Bar rules, including when he used “video evidence in campaign television advertisements.” Willis also noted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called to investigate whether Howard issued grand jury subpoenas improperly in the case.

On June 12, 2020, Brooks had fallen asleep in his car in the drive-thru of a Wendy’s parking lot. Police responded to complaints and attempted to arrest him when a struggle ensued. Brooks grabbed one of the officer’s tasers and fled the scene, firing it at officers as he fled. Rolfe then shot Brooks as he ran.

The other officer involved, Devin Brosnan, was charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath. Rolfe was charged with murder and was initially fired for his role in the shooting. His termination was later reversed by the Atlanta Civil Service board after it found the city of Atlanta failed to follow its own procedures for disciplinary matters.

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