Rayshard Brooks Update: Officer Had 12 Previous Misconduct Complaints, Including One For Excessive Force

As Atlanta still reels from the death of Rayshard Brooks, the Atlanta Police Department released the disciplinary records of the two officers involved in the shooting. One of the officers had been reported multiple times for alleged misconduct, including at least one complaint of excessive force.

The department said former officer Garrett Rolfe had at least 12 misconduct complaints during his nearly seven-year tenure as a police officer. Most of the misconduct involved vehicle accidents and citizen complaints, nine of which he was exonerated. He was also exonerated for “discharging his firearm” in an incident from 2015.

However, he was reported for allegedly using excessive force with a gun in an altercation from 2017. Rolfe was reprimanded for the incident and it was the last “use-of-force” complaint before the Brooks shooting on Friday.

Atlanta police did not provide additional details about the previous alleged incidents Rolfe was involved in.

“I could have told people, 'I guarantee you this officer has had issues in the past.' It's normally that situation,” L. Chris Stewart, the attorney representing Brooks’ family, told reporters. “You know who causes issues or who has had prior issues or who has complaints. A lot of them don't get justified and then they stay on the force.”

The second officer involved, Devin Brosnan, joined the department in 2018 and had no complaints filed in his near two-years as an officer.

Brosnan is on administrative duty pending investigation’s completion by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Rolfe was fired from the department in the wake of the shooting and protests in the city.

While the shooting has been ruled a homicide, no charges have been filed against either officer. District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. said a decision on filing charges will be made by Wednesday.

“If this had been a civilian, there's a possibility charges would have been lodged against them already,” Howard Jr. told CNN. “What I think people around the country are saying is 'we want one system so that both the police and citizens are treated equally.' That's what we are hoping to do by making our decision on Wednesday.”