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Officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks has been investigated 12 times by APD standards office

Officer Garrett Rolfe was fired less than 24 hours after shooting and killing Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy's parking lot.

ATLANTA — The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmaud Arbery in south Georgia sparked international protests since the end of May, demanding justice from the law enforcement officers who killed them. 

More than two weeks since the start of protests in Atlanta, another name was added to that list, Rayshard Brooks

Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta Police officer Friday night after he reportedly fell asleep in the southeast Atlanta fast food drive-thru line. 

Almost a half hour after Officer Garrett Rolfe and Officer Devin Brosnan began the DUI investigation at the Wendy's on University Avenue, the violent struggle began.

It ended with Rolfe shooting Brooks twice in the back as he was running away with the officer's taser, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 

In less than 24 hours, the department fired Rolfe and put Brosnan on administrative duty. 

An 11Alive Reveal investigation found this isn't the first time Rolfe was investigated by the department for improper use of force involving a firearm.

RELATED: Rayshard Brooks | Medical examiner releases cause, manner of death

Credit: WXIA

Rolfe joined the force as an academy cadet in 2013 and has received more than 2,000 hours of training since then, according to state records. That training included use of deadly force, firearms, de-escalation, and cultural awareness classes since January of this year. 

RELATED: What do we know about Garrett Rolfe?

While investigating Rolfe's background, The Reveal chief investigator Brendan Keefe went through a previous investigation where the Rolfe was one of the officers chasing down kidnapping suspects. 

“We’re going to shoot you! I’m gonna shoot you. I’m gonna shoot your a**! I’m gonna f***g shoot you," yelled Rolfe, deploying his taser multiple times, missing the suspect.

The Reveal's exclusive video was from a 2016 investigation where another officer heroically saved the life of one of the kidnappers after shooting him. In this incident all the suspects were successfully captured and convicted, and there was no allegations of wrongdoing on the part of Rolfe. 

But Friday's shooting is the twelfth time Atlanta Police Department's Office of Professional Standards has investigated Rolfe, in his almost seven years with the department, according to a summary released by the department. 

Four of the complaints were filed by citizens between 2015 and 2018. One of those complaints was "not sustained" and he was completely exonerated in the other three.

READ: The full summary of Rolfe's disciplinary records below

In October 2017, APD issued a written reprimand to Rolfe after internal affairs 'sustained' an allegation of improper use of force involving a firearm. 

We don't know any of the details of these internal investigations yet, because APD has only released a summary of the disciplinary records. 

The Reveal has requested an interview with the now former officer, but we have not yet received a response.

Just hours after the shooting Friday night, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields stepped down from her position. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms made the announcement. 

The Mayor said this was the now-former chief's personal decision. She said that a nationwide search will soon begin for a replacement. However, in the interim, Rodney Bryant, who currently serves as the police department's corrections chief, will fill the role. Bryant has been with the department since 1989.

The Reveal is an investigative show exposing inequality, injustice, and ineptitude created by people in power throughout Georgia and across the country.  

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