Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 6-19-20

National
George Floyd’s Family To File
A Charred Wendy’s, An Officer Fired And A Police Chief Steps Down In The Aftermath Of Rayshard Brooks’ Death
Civil Lawsuit Against The
Officers Who Killed Him
George Floyd’s family at- torney Benjamin Crump is confirming that his family in- tends on filing a civil lawsuit against “everybody” involved in the 46-year-old’s death.
During an interview with CNN, Crump said former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and the three other officers surround- ing him on May 25 when Floyd died in police custody will be named in the suit.
Crump shared the news while responding to a question about Chauvin’s possible pension benefits – reportedly worth up to $1 million despite being charged with murder – and said the suit is about ac- countability.
"The family intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil, for the wrongful death of George
GEORGE FLOYD Floyd," Crump said. "When
you consider that he still may be eligible for this pension. Well, that suggests, Victor, that the system is all wrong."
It’s unclear at this time how much money Crump and the Floyd family are seeking in their lawsuit.
Rayshard Brooks was shot twice in the back, according to a release by the Fulton County, Georgia, Medical Examiner's Of- fice.
Brooks died from organ damage and blood loss from the two gunshot wounds, according to the office.
The autopsy, performed on Sunday, lists Brooks' cause of death as gunshot wounds to the back. The manner of death is listed as homicide.
Protesters took to the streets of Atlanta -- and elsewhere around the country -- again Sun- day. In Atlanta, they gathered at the fast food restaurant where Brooks died Friday. The restaurant was torched by pro- testers Saturday.
The Fulton County District Attorney criticized the police of- ficers' handling of Brooks' fatal shooting and said that a decision on whether to bring charges could come around Wednesday. "(Brooks) did not seem to pres- ent any kind of threat to anyone, and so the fact that it would es- calate to his death just seems unreasonable," DA Paul Howard told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield on Sun- day.
"It just seems like this is not the kind of conversation and in- cident that should have led to someone's death."
Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police on Friday, June 12, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Brooks, 27, was shot dead by an officer Friday night at a Wendy's drive-through in the city after police moved to hand- cuff him for suspected driving under the influence, according to videos from the scene. The videos show that Brooks took an officer's Taser during the at- tempted arrest and then fired the Taser at the officers as he ran away.
One officer then fatally shot Brooks three times with his service weapon, authorities said. The killing has had rapid reper- cussions in Atlanta, one of many cities where protesters have called for an end to police vio- lence and racism in the wake of the police killing of George
Floyd in Minneapolis, Min- nesota. The officer who shot Brooks was fired and police chief Erika Shields resigned as exasperated protesters have called for justice.
On Saturday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she did not believe Brooks' death was a justified use of deadly force.
The incident began when po- lice responded to a call Friday night about a man sleeping in a parked vehicle in the Wendy's drive-through lane, causing other customers to drive around it, the Georgia Bureau of Investi- gation said in a statement.
When Brosnan arrives to the scene, Brooks is asleep be- hind the wheel in the drive- through lane, according to his body camera video. Footage from both officers' body cameras and from their vehicles shows them speaking with Brooks for nearly 30 minutes outside the Wendy's.
The shooting reignited the anger and frustration undergird- ing the mass protests over the past few weeks. The Wendy's where the shooting took place was set aflame on Saturday night, and in another part of the city, a major interstate was shut down after protesters marched onto a connector and were met by lined up police vehicles.
Second Black Man Found Hanging From A Tree Outside Of Los Angeles
Less than 24 hours after news broke that a Black man, Robert Fuller, was found hanging from a tree in the Los Angeles suburb of Palmdale, California on June 12, local outlets are reporting that another Black man, Mal- colm Harsch, was found dead in similar circumstances less than two weeks ago, on May 31.
The 38-year-old was found less than fifty miles from where Fuller's body was discovered. In both cases, local authorities quickly ruled the deaths as sui- cide, saying no foul play was in- volved. However, community members and the families of the deceased are not convinced, and demand further investigation into the deaths.
Hanging from a tree is, of course, an image charged with the racist history of lynchings
MALCOLM HARSCH
and that both men were found dead near city buildings — Robert Fuller, 24, near City Hall and Harsch, near the public library — is raising ques- tions. Fuller's body was found in Palmdale, known to be a white
conservative area with a history of racism.
A Change.org petition calling for an investigation into Harsch’s death topped 10,000 signatures by Sunday morning (June 14) and is rising rapidly.
Lt. Kelly Yagerlener of the L.A. County medical examiner- coroner’s office said a decision on the cause of Harsch’s death is deferred pending an investiga- tion. A full autopsy is planned.
More than 200,000 people signed an online petition de- manding a full investigation into Fuller’s death. According to the Victorville Daily Press, commu- nity members confronted city of- ficials at a contentious news briefing Friday, asking why they were quick to label his death a suicide and demanding an inde- pendent autopsy.
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