From CNN:

Ex-Atlanta Police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks charged with felony murder

The now-fired Atlanta Police officer who faces a felony murder charge for fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks last week kicked the 27-year-old man after he fell to the ground, Fulton County’s district attorney said Wednesday.

DA Paul Howard announced 11 charges against Garrett Rolfe, who fired three shots at Brooks, two of which hit Brooks in the back and another that hit a car with three people inside.

Eleven charges including felony murder.

This is felony murder in Georgia:

(a) A person commits the offense of murder when he unlawfully and with malice aforethought, either express or implied, causes the death of another human being.

(b) Express malice is that deliberate intention unlawfully to take the life of another human being which is manifested by external circumstances capable of proof. Malice shall be implied where no considerable provocation appears and where all the circumstances of the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart.

(c) A person also commits the offense of murder when, in the commission of a felony, he causes the death of another human being irrespective of malice.

(d) A person convicted of the offense of murder shall be punished by death, by imprisonment for life without parole, or by imprisonment for life.

This is beyond obscene let alone reasonable.  The DA Paul L. Howard is saying that Officer Rolfe had malice aforethought when he shot Brooks and that it was evident because Brooks did not provoke Rolfe.  Either that or Officer Rolfe was committing a felony when he shot Brooks.

IANAL but I don’t see how that will stick?

Especially given Rolfe’s defense.

A law firm representing Rolfe said he reacted after he thought he “heard a gunshot and saw a flash in front of him.”

A taser sounds like a gunshot.  It uses a pyrotechnic charge to fire the darts.  If Brooks discharged the taser Rolfe could have easily thought it was a gun.

Other arguments made by Howard are equally ludicrous.

This is the DA’s press conference started at the relevant part.

Brooks “never presented himself as a threat.”

Are you kidding me?  He resisted, took a weapon from a cop, then pointed it at another cop.  How much more presentation as a thread does he need?

I expect that Howard wanted Brooks to say “by the way, I’m going to tackle you, take your gun, and try and shoot you with it as soon as you try to put the handcuffs on me, so be warned.”

It is crystal clear that this overzealous prosecution is entirely politically motivated.  I wouldn’t be surprised it Howard asked for the death penalty.

The message is being sent to the Atlanta PD loud and clear that the DA’s office cares more about the mob than the law.

This is the Atlanta PD right now:

I suspect that the Atlanta PD is going to watch this and say “fuck it” and that every cop car in the city will be out of service for a while.

Update:

As soon as I posted this a buddy sent me this:

Atlanta is about to have a very bad time.