Daily US Times: The Police Chief of Atlanta, Erika Shields has resigned after the fatal shooting of an African-American who had fallen asleep in his car at a drive-through restaurant.

Authorities say, Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot by a police officer during a struggle on Friday evening.

A day later on Saturday, the police chief handed her resignation to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Protestors in Atlanta took to the streets calling for action following the death of Brook.

Demonstrators closed down a major highway, Interstate-75, in Atlanta on Saturday evening and the Wendy’s restaurant outside which Brooks died was also set on fire.

Over the last three weeks, People across the US have already been protesting over the death of an unarmed African-American George Floyd in police custody.

Erika Shields had worked in the Atlanta police department for more than 20 years and had served as police chief since December 2016. Mayor Bottoms said she will continue with the department in another role.

The Mayor issued a statement saying: “Because of her desire that Atlanta be a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as Police Chief so that the city may move forward with urgency and rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities.” Mayor Bottoms has also called for the sacking of the officer involved in Brooks’ death.

What happened on Friday night?

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) is probing the death of Mr Brooks and is looking at eyewitness footage and video from a security camera inside the Wendy’s restaurant.

GBI says police had been called to the restaurant because Mr Brooks had fallen asleep in his car, which was blocking the drive-through lane.

Mr Brooks resisted arrest after he failed a breathalyzer test, according to police.

A report from the GBI said footage captured from inside the Wendy’s restaurant shows officers chasing Mr Brooks before he turns and points a Taser at an officer.

The report said: “The officer then fired his weapon, striking Brooks.”

Mr Brooks can be seen on the ground outside the Wendy’s restaurant in the eyewitness video, struggling with two police officers.

He grabs an officer’s Taser and breaks free from the officers, running away. The other officer then manages to use a Taser on Mr Brooks and both officers then run out of the frame of the video.

Then gun shots heard and Mr Brooks is seen on the ground.

He was taken to hospital but later died and one of the officers was treated for an injury from the incident.

Mayor’s statement said, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office is conducting a separate investigation into the incident.

Lawyers representing Mr Brooks’ family said the police officer had no right to use deadly force, saying the Taser which Mr Brooks had grabbed was a non-lethal weapon.

Attorney Chris Stewart said: “You can’t shoot somebody unless they are pointing a gun at you.”

Lawyers for his family said Mr Brooks was supposed to take his eight-year-old daughter skating on Saturday to celebrate her birthday.

According to ABC News, this is the 48th officer-involved shooting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has investigated this year, of those cases, 15 were fatal.

A number of protesters gathered outside the Wendy’s on Friday.

Protests then began again in the centre of Atlanta on Saturday. Images from the protest show demonstrators holding signs with Brooks’ name and Black Lives Matter signs.

People in Atlanta had already been protesting following the death of George Floyd wh died on 25 May after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes.

The officer has been sacked and charged with second-degree murder.

What has happened in other US cities?

Since George Floyd’s death, demonstrations have taken place across the US and across the world. In the US, many are calling for the police to be reformed.

In Minneapolis, where Mr Floyd died, the City Council passed a resolution on Friday to replace its police department with a community-led public safety system. Just days before it voted to disband the police department.

The council said it would begin a year-long process of engaging “with every willing community member in Minneapolis” to come up with a new public safety model.

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