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Former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams says the death of Rayshard Brooks — a 27-year-old black man who was shot twice in the back by police in Atlanta — was murder.
“The decision to shoot him in the back was one made out of maybe impatience or frustration or panic, but it was not one that justifies deadly force. It was murder.”
The police officers confronted Brooks at a Wendy’s parking lot. Multiple videos from police, restaurant and witnesses showed the confrontation are being used to piece together the last minutes of Brooks' life.
Abrams said it’s clear the officers knew Brooks’ wasn’t a threat.
“This is a man who had been frisked, so they knew he did not possess a deadly weapon. They knew that he was impaired because he had parked in that driveway. And they knew, when he ran away, that he did not pose a danger that was a deadly force incentive.”
“At no point did he present a danger that warranted his death,” she added.
Attempts to justify Brooks’ killing dehumanize him, Abrams said.
“Every moment of justification is a moment of dehumanization. That's the problem. Let's not get distracted. The distraction that happens is that we try to find reasons that murder is acceptable when a black man or a black woman is the victim and that should not happen," she said.
She disagreed with the calls to defund the police and instead agreed with “reallocating resources for the public good.”