In the middle of Black Lives Matter protests across the country, 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was shot by police in Atlanta. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas condemned the incident in their Instagram posts, June 14.
Billie Eilish posted a picture of Brooks, a snapshot from the recovered video from a police body camera at the incident. In her post available to her 64.3 million followers, she wrote: "man F**K. watching this video made me so f**king angry." The "Bad Guy" singer then called for justice for Brooks and furiously asked why isn't everyone talking about the incident.
Shortly after Eilish expressed her anger over Brooks' death, her brother Finneas followed suit. The 22-year-old singer-songwriter also called for justice. "This is so f**ked up man. And such a good example of EXACTLY what's so f**ked up about the police in America." Finneas' posted pictures of the killed Brooks holding a baby in his arms and a close-up. "Don't let yourself be numb to this. Don't let the world stay this way," Finneas added.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by FINNEAS (@finneas) on Jun 14, 2020 at 2:28pm PDT
Rayshard Brooks' killing, following George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery
Rayshard Brooks' killing is the latest incident following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. The 27-year-old father of four was shot and killed by a police officer at a Wendy's parking lot in Atlanta Friday, June 12. Brooks was found asleep in his car at the fast food's drive-thru lane.
Based on the footage from officer Devin Brosnan's bodycam, he knocked on Brooks' car window to wake him up. When he woke up, the policeman asked Brooks to move his car over to a parking spot. The officer then checked him for alcohol intoxication.
Another police officer, Garrett Rolfe, arrives a few minutes later. Brosnan briefed Rolfe, who started interrogating Brooks. Based on Brooks' responses, the African-American driver didn't know how he got there. As Rolfe tries to handcuff Brooks, a scuffle began between him and the officers.
Rayshard Brooks then managed to get one of the Tasers and started running away. Wendy's surveillance camera captured this part of the conflict. In the ensuing chase, both Brooks and Rolfe can both be seen holding a Taser. Rolfe, however, switched from Taser to his service firearm. Three gunshots can be heard from Brosnan's dislodged camera.
"He should be waking up and not dead."
Rayshard Brooks' killing has sparked protests this weekend in Atlanta. Also, local Police Chief Erika Shields has resigned following the incident. Rolfe has been terminated while Brosnan was placed on administrative duty.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has released a statement. "There is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do." The Atlanta mayor added that she doesn't believe the shooting of Brooks was not a "justified use of deadly force."
Aside from Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, other artists have also spoken about the incident. Rapper, producer, and Grand Hustle Records CEO T.I. reportedly took to the streets to condemn Brooks' death. "I don't give a damn what your opinion is of the person. I don't give a damn what he did. The man didn't deserve to die like that. And any policeman out here who stands behind that shit your ass in trouble too," T.I. said in a report from Billboard.
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Fellow rapper Killer Mike wrote on Instagram that Rayshard Brooks should be alive this morning. "He should be waking up (hungover or drunk in the tank depending on whether he was apprehended) and not dead." The rapper proposed that there be a law to prevent shooting a fleeing unarmed person. "If there is no weapon, fleeing from an officer should be a foot chase and radio race," Killer Mike argued.
