Garrett Rolfe was wrongly terminated from the Atlanta Police Department is the ruling of the Atlanta Civil Service Board.
Rolfe is the cop seen on bodycam firing his gun at Rayshard Brooks outside an Atlanta Wendy's restaurant on June 12, 2020. Brooks' death heightened the intensity of protests in the city occurring after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The Board said in its ruling Wednesday that Rolfe "was not afforded his right to due process" in his termination "due to the City's failure to comply with several provisions and the information received during witnesses' testimony."
Rolfe still faces felony charges.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement that "Given the volatile state of our city and nation last summer, the decision to terminate this officer, after he fatally shot Mr. Brooks in the back, was the right thing to do."
Brooks family attorney L. Chris Sewart said Wednesday, "We find it mind boggling that our elected officials and the former chief (Erika Shields) weren't aware of the proper procedure to fire an officer."
Shields stepped down as Chief of Police less than 24 hours after Brooks' death. She later resigned.
"It would appear that the life of Rayshard Brooks didn't matter", said Attorney Stewart, "and that the rest of the world has moved on."
Rolfe's attorney Lance LoRusso said, according to reports, that while it will likely take some time, his intention is to get his client back to work.
Though he's to be reinstated, Rolfe will remain on administrative leave, according to a statement from APD, "until the criminal charges against him are resolved." The Civil Service Board's decision, the APD statement indicated, ruled that the process of Rolfe's firing was "not done in accordance with the Atlanta City Code."
The criminal case against Rolfe has been bogged down in the courts. Fulton County District Attorney Fanny Willis has tried to kick the case away from her office, but Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr declined her request. It's a matter now for a court to decide.
Another Brooks family lawyer Attorney Justin Miller said the message to family and citizens of the Atlanta area is that "the city and the police department and D.A.'s office are not really serious about civil rights." Miller continued "we'd like for them to understand that these are real families and as these happen it's like ripping a bandage off a wound every single time."