President Donald Trump is speaking out about the shooting of Rayshard Brooks at the hands of the Atlanta Police Department.
During a phone interview with Sean Hannity, Trump described Brooks’ shooting as a “terrible situation” but also insisted that “you can’t resist a police officer.”
“I thought it was a terrible situation, but you can’t resist a police officer,” Trump told Hannity on Wednesday night. “And, you know, if you have a disagreement you have to take it up after the fact.”
On Wednesday, former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, the officer who killed Brooks at a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta on Friday evening, was charged with felony murder.
Trump went on to share his reaction to Rolfe facing charges as he admitted he hopes the former officer gets a “fair shake.”
“I hope he gets a fair shake because police have not been treated fairly in our country. They have not been treated fairly,” Trump said. “But, again, you can’t resist a police officer like that. And they ended up in a very terrible disagreement and look at the way it ended. Very bad. Very bad.”
See Trump’s remarks below:
Trump’s latest remarks come amid intensifying protests and ongoing debates over police brutality and racial inequality.
Brooks’ death, which was a result of two gunshot wounds to the back, has fueled more arguments about the line of demarcation between probable cause and excessive use of force.
Despite Trump’s claims that police officers have been treated unfairly, a USA Today internal investigation into police misconduct suggests otherwise.
According to the report, there have been more than 85,000 officers investigated for alleged misconduct and over 200,000 incidents over the last decade. Over 110,000 incidents were investigated internally.
The report also signals an apparent lack of transparency from law enforcement agencies because the misconduct records were “filed away, rarely seen by anyone outside their departments,” USA Today reports.
The findings also show: “Police unions and their political allies have worked to put special protections in place ensuring some records are shielded from public view, or even destroyed,” per USA Today.
The report suggests not only have officers been treated fairly but some have also received preferential treatment while never being held accountable for their actions. As USA Today notes, “Despite their role as public servants, the men and women who swear an oath to keep communities safe can generally avoid public scrutiny for their misdeeds.”
