Garrett Rolfe, the police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020, was back in the news after a bar fight last Sunday.
And the release of a 911 call is now shedding new light on the incident.
Witnesses at X Midtown club described a chaotic scene to police where Rolfe reportedly punched one of the club’s workers four times.
When police arrived many were surprised when Rolfe, who was off duty at the time, was released and the worker who was assaulted, Raefeael Penrice, was arrested.
Penrice reportedly placed the 911 call prior to his arrest telling the dispatcher that Rolfe and another man had been asked to leave the bar but refused. The tape of the call was released July 4.
“I have a guy here claiming to be APD, and he keeps following me,” Penrice says on the tape of the call. “I’m in the back doing my job, like taking out the trash, and the guy followed me to the back of the alley and he has a phone on me – asking me all kinds of questions and stuff like that.”
Penrice told the dispatcher one of the men “brandished something” and that he was worried that they had a weapon.
Upon arrest, it was Penrice who was charged and taken to the Fulton County Jail.
Rolfe was reportedly placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Atlanta Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards.
Fox 5 reports that a representative from Mayor Andre Dickens’ office said he’s in contact with the police chief about the incident.
“The mayor has spoken to the chief about this matter and expressed his concerns. Anytime any employee — especially a police officer — is involved in any incident, he is concerned and expects a full and thorough impartial investigation. That is what is underway now. Officer Rolfe has been relieved of duty pending an investigation.”
The owner of X Midtown, James Nelson, called out the actions of the arresting officers and Rolfe in a statement to FOX 5.
“At X Atlanta Restaurant, we’re very concerned about the incident that occurred early Sunday morning, which involved an off-duty Atlanta police officer,” Nelson said. “The circumstances surrounding the incident raise serious questions about the conduct of this officer.”
Nelson went on to say the club would be conducting its own investigation into the night’s events.
This latest incident with Rolfe comes on the heels of the fifth anniversary of Brooks’ fatal shooting in a Wendy’s parking lot on June 12, 2020.
Police Killing of Rayshard Brooks
Protests had erupted across the country in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, and then one month later came the death of Rayshard Brooks.
Brooks, 27, had fallen asleep behind the wheel of his car in the drive-through line at a Wendy’s restaurant on University Avenue, when two Atlanta police officers arrived on the scene.
Dashcam video of the encounter showed a struggle between Brooks and the officers when they attempted to handcuff him. Brooks grabbed one of the officer’s Tasers and ran. Rolfe shot him twice in the back.
Rolfe was fired from the Atlanta Police Department and arrested on 11 charges, including felony murder and multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The second officer on the scene, Devin Brosnan, was placed on administrative leave.
At the time, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said the fatal police shooting “is so personal to so many people of color.”
“That could have been any one of us,” Bottoms said during an interview with “TODAY” on NBC. “That could be any of our kids or brothers. In this case it was: It was someone’s father.”
The fatal shooting sparked widespread protests in Atlanta.
The prosecution dropped all charges in August 2022. The lead attorney, appointed by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, determined Rolfe was justified in shooting Brooks.
Rolfe was reinstated to the Atlanta Police Department in May 2021.
Follow Capital B Atlanta for updates on this developing story.
