After an 8-year-old girl was fatally shot near the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was killed by a police officer, Atlanta’s mayor gave a harsh rebuke of the armed protesters that have taken the place over.
“You shot and killed a baby,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. “And there wasn’t just one shooter, there were at least two shooters.”
In an evening news conference, Bottoms demanded that the people who have been seen carrying long guns near the University Avenue restaurant leave the area.
“If you want to be a part of a solution and not the problem, you need to clear out of that area,” she said.
» READ: The text of Mayor Bottoms' address
Mayor Bottoms & Interim Chief Bryant speak on 8-year-old murdered over the holiday weekend. https://t.co/iCjls5QC47
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) July 5, 2020
The strong words follow the death of Secoriea Turner, who was shot while sitting in a car across the street from Wendy’s parking lot.
Former Officer Garrett Rolfe shot Brooks in the restaurant’s parking lot last month, leading to a slew of protests across the city.
“Following the death of Rayshard Brooks, there have been a number of protests in the area, and there has been a problem with protesters closing the streets off,” Bottoms said.