Fulton County, GA, District Attorney Paul Howard suffered a sound election defeat Tuesday, losing his Democratic primary by a whopping 72%-28% margin.
The victor, Fani Willis, is poised to become the first African-American woman to serve in that position. No Republican has qualified for the general election so Tuesday night’s results effectively made Willis the next Fulton County District Attorney.
Howard charged officers Garret Rolfe and Devin Brosnan in relation to the killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot in June.
The officers were called to the Wendy’s after an employee called 911 to report Brooks asleep behind the wheel of his car while parked in the drive-through lane of the restaurant.
Body cam footage subsequently released of the incident show Rolfe and Brosnan questioning Brooks for more than 40 minutes and administering several sobriety tests, which Brooks failed in the officers’ opinion.
In attempting to take Brooks into custody, he resisted arrest, fought with officers, wrestled one of their tasers away and fired it at them while attempting to flee the scene. Brooks was shot and killed by Rolfe during the altercation.
Rolfe received 11 charges for the incident, including felony murder, and could receive the death penalty if convicted of the murder charge. Brosnan faces 3 charges, including aggravated assault. Both are free on bond.
The charges prompted a walk-off of fellow officers in protest.
Critics accused Howard of politicizing the case. The Atlanta Police Union would wind up endorsing Willis.
Howard, the county’s first African-American DA, and in office in 1997, attempted to make Willis’ relationship with the police union a wedge issue in the race.
“I don’t see how you can serve as the gatekeeper to criminal justice in our community when you have made a deal with the union not to prosecute police officers,” he during a June debate.
Willis’ response: “I’m dealing with a very desperate man who know he’s losing.”
Photo by Fulton County DA’s Office