ATLANTA — A man was rushed to the hospital after being shot by Atlanta Police during a traffic stop late Friday night.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, he died during surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital.
On Saturday morning, the GBI identified the man as 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks of Atlanta.
A crowd has gathered at the scene to protest the officer-involved shooting off of University Avenue near I-75/85 in southwest Atlanta.
In a preliminary report, the GBI says that at about 10:33 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Wendy's in response to a male parked in the drive-thru, asleep, forcing other vehicles to drive around him.
According to the GBI, officers administered a field sobriety test on Brooks. After he failed, they attempted to take him into custody.
During the attempted arrest, they said, Brooks resisted and a struggle began. The arresting officer pulled out a Taser.
Witnesses indicated that the man grabbed the Taser from the officer.
According to Atlanta Assistant Police Chief Timothy Peek, a second officer got involved and also attempted to tase Brooks.
During the struggle, he was shot by at least one of the officers.
A cellphone video tweeted by Atlanta Attorney Gerald Griggs indicates that Brooks was apparently running away from the officers when the shooting occurred.
In the video, Brooks can be seen on the ground struggling with the two officers before getting up and running off. One of the officers deployed his Taser at Brown while running after him.
A moment later, multiple gunshots can be heard. The cellphone video turns and Brooks can be seen on the ground.
We have reached out to Atlanta Police and the GBI to confirm the validity of the video.
Brooks was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died after surgery, according to the GBI report.
Following the incident, the two officers involved in the shooting were removed from duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Atlanta District 3 City Councilman Antonio Brown was at the scene during a portion of the investigation.
He told 11Alive News that a number of people had telephoned him shortly after the incident occurred and that he felt it necessary to come to the scene to see for himself, what was going on.
According to police, the protest at the scene has remained peaceful and they said they understand the concern of those at the scene.
Councilman Brown told 11Alive News that he felt the peaceful protest was a reflection of the discomfort that people have with the police during this time.
"This is a reflection of what is truly transpiring in our country, not just the city of Atlanta," Brown said.
He said that the way information is being disseminated is a major problem.
"I was informed (initially) that there was a body that's still here and that the body was never transported," Brown said. "After the incident, the individual involved in the altercation with the local police was immediately transported to the hospital."
Late Saturday morning, Brown told 11Alive News that he had spoken to Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields about the shooting and how it had occurred.
Brown says that Chief Shields told him that Brown had been shot in the back and the buttocks.
Following the incident, the Georgia NAACP tweeted an immediate call for Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to relieve Chief Shields of duty.
"@KeishaBottoms, @Atlanta_Police needs a serious overhaul. The continuation of these kinds of actions require immediate resolution. Instead of seeing an improvement, it continues to happen day after day. Chief Shields must be relieved immediately."
The organization has also started a Change.org petition seeking the removal of Chief Shields from office.
The Georgia NAACP goes on to say that the bodycam footage from the officers involved along with all surveillance video from surrounding buildings should be released immediately.
The GBI will continue its independent investigation of the incident. Once completed, the case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for review.
According to the GBI, this is the 48th officer-involved shooting their agency has been asked to investigate in 2020.
We initially identified Councilman Brown as representing the district where this particular Wendy's is located. This Wendy's is located in City Council District 12.
Photos: Man shot, killed by Atlanta Police at University Ave. Wendy's
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