Georgia DA Paul Howard – who charged Atlanta officer with murder in Rayshard Brooks case – voted out of office

ATLANTA, GA- The embattled District Attorney
who he himself is under investigation has been voted out. This
comes on the heels of charging an Atlanta officer with felony
murder in the death of criminal Rayshard Brooks.  

Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Paul Howard lost
reelection on Tuesday to Fani Willis.

BREAKING NEWS!!!! Corrupt DA Paul Howard
@FultonCountyDA
gets his ass handed to him by Fani Willis @FaniWillisForDA.
Maybe now we can start targeting the thugs instead of the cops!

— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik)
August 12, 2020

Willis, a former Deputy District Attorney and Judge in South
Fulton County won the election run off
by nearly 75 percent of the vote. She is now the first woman DA
in Fulton County.

With 305 of 366 precincts reporting, Fulton
District Attorney challenger Fani Willis leads 6x incumbent Paul
Howard with 73+ percent of the vote. She is poised to become the
first woman to serve as Fulton’s DA https://t.co/E67JGKhCkK pic.twitter.com/pdrOcACIlR

— Jennifer Brett (@Jennifer__Brett)
August 12, 2020

Howard has been the DA for Fulton County since 1997 with little
to no opposition. This is his sixth term. He was the first
African-American DA in. the state of Georgia

So far, looks like Atlanta wasn’t taken in
by incumbent DA Paul Howard’s gambit of over-charging a police
officer to distract from his political scandals. pic.twitter.com/NnQ0Jdxqbr

— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani)
August 12, 2020

In the
June 9, 2020 runoff, Willis earned 42 percent of the Fulton
County DA Democratic vote in a three-way tie with Howard and
Christian Wise Smith. None of the candidates received 50 percent of
the vote which forced the runoff election between Willis and
Howard.

Howard quickly came under scrutiny after the election. It
started when
Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by Atlanta Police. Howard
announced that his office would charge Officer
Garret Rolf and Officer Devin Brosnan.

This announcement was made before the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation had completed their investigation of the incident.
The scrutiny revealed accusations of Workplace harassment,
discrimination and
14 violations of state ethics regulations.

Willis worked under Howard for 17 years as a prosecutor until
2018. She was chosen to serve as Chief Judge of Fulton
County. Willis has been incredibly vocal about how Howard has
run his office lately. Her major points of
contention were decisions that made the community less safe,
and questionable integrity. 

Howard conceded the election at around 11:00 PM on Aug. 11,
2020. He told reporters:
“I came in with pride and I’m leaving with pride.â€

Right now– Paul Howard congratulates Fani
Willis and wishes her luck as she becomes the next DA of Fulton
county. @FOX5Atlanta

Says “I came in with pride and I’m leaving with pride.” pic.twitter.com/Qep7QuF8iD

— Alex Whittler (@AlexWhittler)
August 12, 2020

“I am honored and humbled to appear before you and say
that tonight, Fulton County has spoken up loud and clear,â€

Willis said in her victory speech. “My staff and I, we will
do what is right, every time and all the time.â€

Willis’ first order of business is to bring respect and
integrity to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office,

according to Dave Huddleson at WSB-TV.

As we reported last month, new evidence points to Howard’s
corruption in former Atlanta Officer Rolfe’s case.

The Georgia Law Enforcement Organization (GLEO) recently posted
information which they claim shows more proof that District
Attorney Paul Howard is corrupt. 

This stems from the officer involved shooting in which former
Atlanta Officer Garrett Rolfe fired his weapon at Rayshard Brooks,
killing him. Video surveillance shows Brooks who Rolfe was
attempting to arrest for DUI fighting officers, and then firing a
stolen Taser at officers. 

The post claims that the numerous criminal charges against
former Officer Rolfe were politically motivated. 

GLEO says there is new evidence which shows that Howard filed
the charges in order to make himself more electable for his seventh
consecutive term amid numerous other
allegations against him. 

The claim initially stems from the grand jury subpoenas which
were issued to the Atlanta Police Department requiring they furnish
all information for an “open investigation regarding Garrett
Rolfe and the use of force incident.†

The DA who charged the cop with “felony
murder” of Rayshard Brooks is now facing his own JAIL TIME for
illegal shenanigans with the Grand Jury.https://t.co/P7R55ZrH5k

— Wayne Dupree Show (@WayneDupreeShow)
July 14, 2020

The Facebook post points out, as Law Enforcement Today has
previously reported, that the Grand Jury was suspended previously
in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

As such, it does not appear that those subpoenas would be valid,
and the issuance of subpoenas without a Grand Jury seated could be
a violation of legal rules in Georgia which could lead to Howard
being disbarred. 

Howard’s defense is that an employee of the State Attorney’s
Office was misguided in believing that the Grand Jury subpoena was
appropriate and he has taken steps to correct the problem. 

The other concerns pointed out where they felt that Howard
presented inconsistent claims as to how and why the subpoenas were
issued.  They stated that Howard initially stated the subpoenas
were authorized and issued for a “future grand jury,†and not
in fact a clerical error. 

He further gave another explanation which said that the issuance
of the subpoenas were done from a past grand jury, the one that was
seated prior to the closure of the normal court proceedings caused
by the pandemic. 

The GLEO Facebook page posed the question as to whether these
legal errors were done on purpose.  They propose that Howard knew
that the officers should not have been criminally charged in this
case, and knew that Rolfe’s actions were self-defense.   

ATLANTA – FOX 5 has learned that the
ongoing GBI criminal investigation of Fulton County District
Attorney Paul Howard has widened.

The Georgia Attorney General has now asked the GBI to
investigate grand jury subpoenas issued by Howard’s office in the
Rayshard Brooks murder case pic.twitter.com/y2BpQIFZe6

— Georgia Law Enforcement Organization (@GeorgiaLEorg)

July 9, 2020

If these claims are accurate, Howard gets a win-win type of
situation.  He first stepped up to confront what the public
believed were “bad officers,†and criminally charged them to
appease his community members. The fact that clerical errors were
made, which will ensure the case is thrown out, allows Howard’s
hands to remain clean as he passes the blame on someone else. 

Howard would be able to not only blame the court for the
decision not to pursue the case criminally, but he would be able to
blame the lack of prosecution on the “systemic racism†that
groups like Black Lives Matter assert exists, despite facts that
would suggest
otherwise. 

The
Washington Post has a database which houses all of the
information for officer involved shootings over the past several
years.  In this database, it clearly shows that the majority of
people who have been killed by police overwhelmingly have been
white people. 

Although they attempt to spin the information and say that black
people have disproportionately been killed by police, with no
explanation given as to what led to the killing, what cannot be
argued is that the white people have been the ones killed the
most. 

It doesn’t take a college educated mind to determine that
those facts do not support the current mindset that officers are on
a racially-motivated killing spree. 

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Here is the full story that Law Enforcement Today published
about the incident with police and Rayshard Brooks.

As you’re no doubt aware of by now, Officer Garrett Rolfe of
the Atlanta Police Department has been arrested in relation to the
shooting death of Rayshard Brooks.

The DA (whose integrity is quite questionable, more on that
later) has filed 11 charges against Officer Rolfe: felony murder,
five counts of aggravated assault, four counts of violation of oath
of office and one count of criminal damage to property.

As anyone with any knowledge of use of force laws and policies
(and maybe a sprinkle of common sense) can see, this shooting was
absolutely and completely justified. Officer Rolfe is clearly being
used as a pawn in a sick, sick game.

Now, it’s up to his family, blood and blue, to stand by his
side and get him the help he needs.

The Georgia Law Enforcement Organization has started a fundraiser to bring much
needed financial assistance to Garrett.

Here’s the description of the fundraiser started by
Greg James:

“Officer Rolfe was involved in the justified shooting
of Rayshard Brooks on June 12th, 2020. The videos clearly show that
the shooting was justified; however, the District Attorney Paul
Howard, who is losing his election, has chosen to charge Officer
Rolfe with 11 charges including Felony Murder, and it is 100% for
political gain.

“The DA is losing his election, and he is also under
investigation himself for stealing $185,000 in tax money, and
transferring it directly into his personal account.

“This fundraiser is designed to help Officer Rolfe and
his family to pay for legal services and general
necessities.â€

There is going to be a long, tough road ahead for Garrett, and
we need to be there with him every step of the way. 

To contribute to the fundraiser set up for Rolfe, click HERE.

According to Greg James, here’s the full incident
breakdown:

“A DUI investigation determined that [Brooks] was too
intoxicated to drive. The bodycam showed the officers being overly
nice and polite to him the entire time all the way up until the
handcuffs were about to go on, as they should’ve
been.

“As soon as they tried to cuff him, an all out brawl
took place. Not just resisting, but punching them in the face and
throwing them around.

“He took one officer’s taser, threw him face first
into the asphalt, stood up, and took off.
“So let’s pause there and see where we’re at
legally.

“Charges:

-DUI
-Obstruction X2 – Felony
-Battery on an officer X2
-Aggravated assault X2 – Felony
-Strong Armed Robbery – Felony
-And believe it or not….
-Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
– Felony

“Per Georgia Law, a taser is classified as a
“less-lethal†FIREARM as they do occasionally cause
death.
(OCGA 16-11-106)

“These offenses are important because there is a case
law called Tennessee v Garner

“What Tennessee v Garner states is:
‘When a non-violent felon is ordered to stop and submit
to police, ignoring that order does not give rise to a reasonable
good-faith belief that the use of deadly force is necessary, UNLESS
it has been threatened.’

“So this goes back to the taser being classified as a
firearm that can cause death or great bodily harm.

“The 2nd officer chased after him and tried to use his
own taser against him, but he didn’t get a good
connection.

“Brooks then turns, aims the taser at the officer, and
fires. Statutorily, this is no different than firing a gun. (The
taser that APD carries has 2 cartridges, so Brooks could have
potentially shot the officer twice.)

“The officer dropped his taser from his left hand
after it appears he was hit by a barb on the video, draws his
sidearm, fires 3 shots, falls against a car in the parking lot and
Brooks goes down.

“Brooks was not only a continuing threat to the
officer since he could still fire the taser again, but he also
showed and EXTREME desire to get away, with a weapon. So it is not
unreasonable to have the fear that he would use that weapon to
carjack a motorist sitting in the drive-thru line, take a hostage,
or otherwise hurt another innocent party.

“What does Georgia Law say about deadly
force?
OCGA 17-4-20 (b):
Sheriffs and peace officers may use deadly
force:

1.) to apprehend a suspected felon only when the officer
reasonably believes that the suspect possesses a deadly weapon. (He
did)
2.) to apprehend a suspected felon who possesses any
object, device, or instrument which, when used offensively against
a person, is likely to or actually does result in serious bodily
injury. (He did)
3.) to apprehend a suspected felon when the officer
reasonably believes that the suspect poses an immediate threat of
physical violence to the officer or others (He did)
4.) to apprehend a suspected felon when there is probable
cause to believe that the suspect has committed a crime involving
the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical harm
(He did)

“The officer only needed one of those requirements,
but he had all 4……..

“Now the reason taser’s are considered
“less-lethal†is because when used appropriately, you are
‘less likely’ to kill someone vs using a gun.

But Brooks hasn’t been through the training to know
how to avoid certain vulnerable parts of the body, and he doesn’t
understand how neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI) works, which
makes it MORE likely for him to cause great bodily injury or death
than if an officer used it.

“And just to support the fact that tasers can and do
kill, there is an East Point Officer currently sitting in prison
for improperly using a taser and killing a man a few years
ago.
(Eberhart v Georgia)

“’He could’ve shot him in the leg!’

“Right off the top, it is unconstitutional to do so.
It is considered cruel and unusual punishment to employ a gun in
that manner. Either an officer felt deadly force was necessary, or
he should use a lesser response.

“We could just leave it at that, but that’s too much
of a cop out, so let’s discuss WHY it has been deemed
unconstitutional. For one thing, that’s an extremely difficult
shot to make. The target is quite narrow, and in continuous motion
as the suspect runs away/charges the officer.

“Under the best of conditions trying to hit the leg is
challenging…to be generous about it. But in a life or death
encounter, the officer’s fine motor skills will be eroded by the
stress of the encounter making the shot, turning a leg shot into a
very low probability feat.

“Assuming a round does hit the leg, then what? The
only way a shot to the leg would immediately stop a threat is by
shattering one of the bones, and stopping the threat is the
ultimate goal.

While it is very difficult to find a shot to the leg
that will immediately stop a threat, it is actually comparatively
easy to find shots to the leg which eventually prove fatal. Human
legs have very large blood vessels which are essentially
unprotected (femoral artery).

“Now remember, we’ve had days to sit back, watch
videos, discuss, and analyze this entire thing. The officers had
less than a minute from the time the fight started, and less than 5
seconds to interpret EVERYTHING you just read while running,
getting shot at with a taser, and returning fire.â€

 

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The post
Georgia DA Paul Howard – who charged Atlanta officer with murder
in Rayshard Brooks case – voted out of office appeared first
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