One of the Atlanta police officers charged in the death of Rayshard Brooks is defending his actions. Officer Devin Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault and three violations of his oath of office. He is currently on administrative leave. Officer Garrett Rolfe, who has since been fired, was charged with felony murder for fatally shooting Brooks in the back.
Brosnan sat down for an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss the case. Brosnan said he was dismayed when charges were announced against him and said he wouldn't have done anything differently that night.
"I feel like my side wasn't really heard, and given the short timeframe, it's hard for anybody to understand all the facts and the whole circumstances around it," he said.
Officials accused Brosnan of failing to provide aid to Brooks after he was shot and using his foot to subdue him while he was bleeding out on the ground.
Brosnan said that he suffered a concussion during an altercation with Brooks.
"I hear gunfire," he said. "I know he still has my Taser. I know there's a crowd. I got up to him, and I'm trying to figure out what's going on. You need to make sure you're safe before you can help or do anything else."
Brosnan explained that he used his foot to make sure Brooks couldn't reach the Taser he had stolen.
"It's totally just an instinctual thing for my own safety," he said. "When I realized I was safe, that's when I take it off. In no way shape or form was I trying to hurt this man."
Brosnan also disputed claims made by Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard that he was a "cooperating witness." Brosnan said that he will fully cooperate with the investigation, but that does mean he will testify for the prosecution against Rolfe.
"I just looked at it like, he could have just said I'm doing the right thing — I'm talking," Brosnan said. "But it just seemed like it was more important to make it political than it was to get to the truth of the matter and get to the real facts of it. … Some person lost their life. It's not something to make political."
Brosnan said that he still believes that the justice system works, and he will be exonerated when all the facts come out.
"I have full faith in the criminal justice system," Brosnan said. "I really do. I have 100 percent faith the truth will come out. People will see this for what it is. They will understand I didn't do anything wrong. I know the truth is what counts."
Photo: Atlanta Police Department