Attorney for former Atlanta officer charged in fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks seeks DA's recusal

The Hill ^ | 07 20 2020 | Rebecca Klar

[yesthatjallen]

An attorney for the former Atlanta police officer charged in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks filed a motion Monday seeking Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard’s recusal from the case, the Atlanta Courier Journal reported.

Noah Pines reportedly said Howard’s statements to the public on the slaying last month have been “ethically inappropriate.”

“Paul Howard has systematically sought to deprive Garrett Rolfe of a fair trial and impartial jury since the day he announced his decision to arrest Garrett Rolfe,” the defense motion states, according to the newspaper.

Pines also said that Howard will be called by the defense to explain about contradictory statements he made about dangers posed by a taser, according to the Atlanta Courier Journal. In the June shooting, which was caught on video, Brooks grabbed a taser belonging to an officer on scene, Devin Brosnan, after Rolfe tried to place Brooks in handcuffs.

Howard has said Brooks presented “no threat” to the officers' safety after he pointed the taser at them. But the defense motions states that just ten days earlier, Howard told the public at a press conference that a taser is a “deadly weapon.”

Howard had made that comment after he charged six Atlanta Police Department officers for their roles in the violent arrests of two unarmed college students, the Atlanta Courier Journal noted.

SNIP

[PAR35]

Let’s see — what might Howard have in common with the Cobb County DA who was chosen to persecute the neighborhood watch folks down in Glenn County who were attached by a suspicious person.

[oldplayer]

The officer’s attorney is exactly right. I was surprised when the DA started making statements that went to the specific elements of the “crime.” DA Ethics 101 is clear that such statements are unethical.

I would expect a recusal, and perhaps a venue change. The best for the officer might, however be a denial of the motions. An appeal and a new trial would be assured when examined by a higher court, even with deference given to the trial court.

[Natty Bumppo@frontier.net]

Due to the stunning, complete, blithering, incompetence of the District Attorneys involved, there will not be a single police officer convicted in either Atlanta and Minneapolis.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

IIRC, GBI is investigating paul howard for misappropriation of funds from an earlier time.Seems he was augmenting his income with department funds.Time will tell.