The Fulton County Medical Examiner has ruled the death of Rayshard Brooks a homicide. Brooks, a 27-year-old African-American man, was shot and killed Friday by an Atlanta police officer after an altercation at a Wendy’s drive-thru. Amidst the ongoing protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd, Brooks’ death sparked a new surge of outcry and protest in the city.

Police had been called on Brooks after he fell asleep in his car while in the fast-food chain’s drive-thru lane. He later failed a field sobriety test and, after a brief altercation, grabbed one of the officer's taser. He fled the scene and was shot twice in the back by officer Garrett Rolfe and later died at a hospital.

An autopsy conducted on Sunday ruled that Brooks died from organ failure and blood loss caused by the gunshots.

“Today, members of my staff had the unfortunate duty of witnessing the autopsy of Mr. Brooks as part of our continued investigation,” Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said in a statement. “Because this is a homicide investigation, there are several technical requirements that must be met before we are able to reach a decision. That includes the confirmation of the ballistics involved and obtaining a preliminary report from the Medical Examiner.”

The Atlanta Police Department has widely been criticized for how it handled the situation, with Howard highlighting Brooks' calm demeanor in a video of officers confronting him.

“It's very difficult when you see [the video], when you see the demeanor of Mr. Brooks, to imagine that some short time later, it ends up with him being dead,” Howard said.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms expressed similar sentiments Sunday at a CNN town hall.

“Even knowing the end, watching the video you are just going, just let him go, just let him go, let him call somebody to pick him up,” Bottoms said.

Atlanta residents gather at site where Rayshard Brooks was killed
Atlanta residents gather at site where Rayshard Brooks was killed AFPTV / Wes BRUER
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