Family members call for police reform, justice for Rayshard Brooks

Family members of Rayshard Brooks on Monday called for police reform and justice after he was shot and killed by Atlanta police last week.  

Several of Rayshard Brooks’s family members spoke at a press conference in Atlanta, requesting the end of “police excessive force” following the deaths of Brooks and George Floyd, who died while in police custody on Memorial Day in Minneapolis. 

Brooks’s cousin Tiara Brooks called for justice and “drastic change,” saying “we must all agree on one thing:” that the Atlanta police killed Brooks. 

“The trust that we have with the police force is broken and the only way to heal some of these wounds is through a conviction and a drastic change with the police department,” she said.

“How many more protests will it take to ensure that the next victim isn’t your cousin, your brother, your uncle, your nephew, your friend or your companion so that we can finally end the suffering of police excessive force?” she added. 

“The trust that we have with the police force is broken”

Tiara Brooks demands “drastic change” and “justice” for her cousin Rayshard Brooks, who was killed while fleeing two white police officers in Atlantahttps://t.co/6fyZMXwkLo pic.twitter.com/R2xSEJlrpL

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 15, 2020

Rayshard Brooks’s niece, who was not named, said her uncle “did not die in vain.”

“I’m not only asking the city of Atlanta to stand with us — I’m asking everyone in this nation to stand with us as we seek justice for Rayshard,” she said. 

His niece also said her family lost “a girl dad” and “a loving husband” who had “the brightest smile and the biggest heart.”

HAPPENING NOW: Family of Rayshard Brooks, who was shot to death by an Atlanta police officer in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, holds a news conference. https://t.co/yOb0wONdip

— ABC News (@ABC) June 15, 2020

Rayshard Brooks’s wife Tomika Miller also spoke at the press conference, saying it will be a “long time before” she and the family heals following his death. 

“There is no justice that can ever make me feel happy about what’s been done,” she said. “I can never get my husband back. I can never get my best friend.”

Miller expressed gratitude for the support and the protests and requested that demonstrations using Rayshard Brooks’s name remain peaceful to “keep his name positive.” 

“I know he’s smiling down because his name will forever be remembered,” she added. 

Rayshard Brooks’ widow Tomika Miller asks that protests remain peaceful: “We want to keep his name positive and great” https://t.co/223O30fBFp pic.twitter.com/ARgXwNQ92i

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 15, 2020

The family’s attorney L. Chris Stewart also announced at the press conference that Tyler Perry would pay the cost of Rayshard Brooks’s funeral. 

Rayshard Brooks, 27, died after being shot by police after being found asleep in a drive-thru at a Wendy’s in Atlanta. Atlanta police have said Brooks struggled with an officer before grabbing the officer’s stun gun and pointing it at him, leading the officer to shoot.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office on Sunday ruled his death a homicide. Since Brooks’s death, one officer has been fired, another was placed on administrative leave and the city’s police chief, Erika Shields, resigned. 

Brooks’s death comes as the country was reeling from Floyd’s death in Minneapolis after a former officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Footage of Floyd’s detainment have sparked weeks of protests against police brutality nationwide.