Garrett Rolfe, the former officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta in June, has been accused of violating his bond by going on vacation in Florida. He could now face imprisonment for violating the terms of the agreement, the Fulton County district attorney said on Tuesday.
Rolfe faces 11 charges, including felony murder, for shooting Brooks in the parking lot of an Atlanta Wendy’s restaurant on June 12. The conditions of his $500,000 bond, granted June 30, require that he is “only allowed to leave home for medical, legal, or work related obligations.” He is also obligated to observe a curfew that requires he not leave his home between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
After his office was notified that Rolfe had left the state for “a short vacation,” Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard filed a motion to revoke the former officer’s bond. Rolfe’s attorney Bill Thomas had sent an email on Aug. 3 notifying the office of the former cop’s travel plans.
Upon checking Rolfe’s travel records, the state of Georgia found that he arrived in Florida on Aug. 2. The state was not aware of Rolfe’s travel intentions beforehand, nor did it have knowledge about any special permissions that would have allowed him to leave the state. As of Wednesday, it was unclear whether Rolfe had returned to Atlanta.
DA Howard said Rolfe “has clearly shown that he will not abide by the conditions of bond imposed by the Court,” and asked the judge to revoke his bond.
Brooks’ widow, Tomika Miller, said she was “baffled” when she learned the officer who shot her husband had violated his bond. “I’m hurt and again I’m just wondering when will justice be served. When will things change?”
Rolfe’s attorney claimed that the judge never said he could not leave the state, while Miller’s attorney Chris Stewart says the judge, “was very clear that officer Rolfe was not supposed to leave the state.”
Rolfe is also suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the interim police chief, alleging that that his rights were violated when he was fired from the police department.
The suit says that Rolfe was acting “within the scope and course of his duties,” when he shot Brooks. Brooks was shot twice in the back as he ran away, and Rolfe was fired the following day.
