Black Lives Matter protests: FOP president says Brooks shooting 'justified under Georgia law’

Protests over racism and police violence continue nationwide, sparked by outrage over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed last month while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Live updates for Tuesday, June 16, continue below:

FOP president: Brooks shooting 'justified under Georgia law’

Update 11:26 p.m. EDT June 16: The president of the Cobb County Fraternal Order of Police said in an interview Tuesday night that the shooting by police of Rayshard Brooks was "justified under Georgia law.

Brooks, 27, was killed by an Atlanta police officer outside a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta after failing a sobriety test, fighting with two officers, wrestling a Taser from one officer and running away. Atlanta officer Garrett Rolfe was fired after the incident after video showed him shooting at Brooks several times.

“I think you can justify this case by Georgia law. It specifically gives the right based on the aggravated assault and the threat he poses to the public and the officers there,” Gaynor said in an interview with CNN. "It specifically gives them by law the right to shoot him. He chose to make those actions. He chose to do what he did. He could have been like 100 other DUIs that night -- got arrested, bonded out, and brought home to his family.”

Gaynor said Rolfe’s actions can now be viewed in hindsight because, “now we know what the criminal history is, but we didn’t know at the time.”

“Could he carjack somebody? Could he be scared so much that he’s going to kidnap somebody in another car? Is he going to hurt a civilian?" Gaynor said. “There’s a lot of things that come into play that you have to play out and go ‘I am responsible for this person I was going to arrest’ and he now has a weapon that I provided him because he took it from me.”

Las Vegas Mayor Pro-Tem gives up title after alleged comments

Update 11:08 p.m. EDT June 16: Las Vegas Councilwoman Michele Fiore gave up the title of mayor pro-tem in the wake of “racially charged” remarks she allegedly made June 6 at the Clark County Republican Party convention. Fiore will remain as a councilwoman, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Fiore said her decision to step away had nothing to do with the controversy over her alleged comments opposing affirmative action.

Philadelphia crowd gathers at Columbus statue to support police captain

Update 9:11 p.m. EDT June 16: Several hundred people gathered at the Christopher Columbus statue in South Philadelphia, calling for the city to reinstate Police Capt. Lou Campione, KYW reported.

The department reassigned Campione from his command following “a volatile and chaotic situation” at the statue over the weekend.

A small group of activists gathered on the other side of the fence surrounding the statue of Columbus, calling for further action against the captain, KYW reported.

Ahmaud Arbery’s mother had ‘very emotional’ meeting with Trump

Update 7:27 p.m. EDT June 16: The mother of Ahmaud Arbery told reporters she had a “very, very emotional meeting” with President Donald Trump and the families of other people killed by police.

Wanda Cooper-Jones described the President as “very compassionate.”

“He did assure each family member that we would and should expect change,” Cooper-Jones said, adding that Trump “showed major concerns for all families, not just one family.”

Arbery was killed Feb. 23 in Brunswick, Georgia. A video showing his death was released two months later.

Robert Fuller’s family seeks independent probe, autopsy

Update 7:05 p.m. EDT June 16: The family of Robert Fuller, the 24-year-old California man who was found hanging from a tree in Palmdale on June 10, said they will seek an independent investigation and autopsy to determine the cause of his death, KABC reported.

Authorities initially said the death appeared to be a suicide, the televison station reported.,

"The Sheriff’s Department immediately declared his death a suicide without completing a full and thorough investigation,'' attorney Jamon R. Hicks said. "The lack of investigation and dismissal of this as a potential murder or hate crime has enraged Mr. Fuller’s family and the entire Antelope Valley community.

“To rush to the conclusion that this was a suicide and not a homicide is extremely disturbing,” Hicks added. “For African-Americans in America, hanging from a tree is a lynching. Why was this cavalierly dismissed as a suicide and not investigated as a murder?”

City officials declined comment.

2 Indiana officers placed on leave after chokehold video surfaces

Update 6:40 p.m. EDT June 16: Two police officers in Anderson, Indiana, were placed on leave after a video showed one of them using a chokehold on a man while arresting him, WXIN reported,

The video was shot Saturday and allegedly shows Officer Brandon Reynolds wrapping his arms around the neck of 21-year-old Spencer Nice during his arrest for resisting law enforcement, the television station reported. The other officer, Ashley Gravely, was shown placing Nice in handcuffs.

Police said they were responding to reports of gunshots in the area, Reynolds claimed he saw Nice throw something black against the side of a factory warehouse, according to his probable cause affidavit.

“My family went on a walk to go to the water, and the cop came up and said there was a lot of noise,” Nice told WTHR.

Nice’s girlfriend said she recorded the incident with her cellphone.

In a joint statement, Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. and Chief of Police Jake Brown said they were “disturbed” by the video.

“While we want to fairly review all of the evidence, we are disturbed by what is shown in the video," the statement said. “The department will not tolerate the use of improper force. We will promptly act in such cases and take appropriate action for any such violations.”

Police chief in Richmond, Virginia, resigns

Update 5:39 p.m. EDT June 16: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced the resignation of the city’s chief of police, William C. Smith, after protests following the death of George Floyd, WRIC-TV reported.

“As of this morning, I requested Chief Smith’s resignation and he has tendered it,” Stoney said at a news conference. “Chief Smith is a good man, he has served this city for a very long time … and I thank him for his service."

Maj. William “Jody” Blackwell has been appointed as the interim police chief, Stoney said.

Smith apologized earlier this month after Richmond police officers fired tear gas into a crowd of peaceful protesters at the Robert E. Lee Monument, WTVR reported. Smith apologized again and briefly took a knee with protesters outside Richmond City Hall on June 2.

Blackwell has worked as the sector lieutenant for one year for an area that covers 1.55 city miles, WWBT reported.

Mother of Antwon Rose denies she met with Trump

Update 5:21 p.m. EDT June 16: The mother of Antwon Rose II denied she was at the White House on Tuesday when President Donald Trump signed an executive order for nationwide police reform.

Michelle Kenney issued a statement Tuesday after Trump mentioned her son, who was shot and killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer, WPXI reported. The President said he met with several families of black Americans who had been killed by police, including Rose’s family.

Kenney denied she met with Trump.

“I am not in the White House. I chose not to meet their president," Kenney wrote on Facebook. “I came to Washington to meet and speak with senators that could have an impact on this movement.”

Rose was 17 when he ran from a traffic stop in June 2018. He was shot and killed by former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeldm, WPXI reported. Rosfeld was found not guilty in March of criminal homicide.

Massachusetts US Attorney: Defunding police ’ridiculous’

Update 4:36 p.m. EDT June 16: Andrew Lelling, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said the idea of defunding police departments was “kind of ridiculous.”

“The way you maintain that level of peace and safety on the streets, is you fund your police departments, you don’t defund them,” Lelling said during a news conference Tuesday.

Lelling added that the idea of governments slashing police budgets, “just because,” was “kind of ridiculous.”

“Taking money away from police departments because of a vague, unanalyzed accusation that all police departments are systemically racist, I think is misguided,” Lelling said.

Virginia governor will propose Juneteenth as state holiday

Update 4:18 p.m. EDT June 16: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he will propose making Juneteenth a state holiday. Friday marks the observance of end of slavery in the United States, and Northam said he hoped local governments would also follow suit.

“It’s time we elevate this, not just a celebration by and for some Virginians, but one acknowledged and celebrated by all of us,” Northam said.

The commemoration will start Friday, with a paid day off for executive branch state employees, Northam said.

Congressional Democrats urge fellow lawmakers to act on police reform

Update 4 p.m. EDT June 16: Democratic leaders called on Congress to move on police reform measures, saying that an executive order signed Tuesday by President Donald Trump did too little.

“While the president has finally acknowledged the need for policing reform, one modest executive order will not make up for his years of inflammatory rhetoric and policies designed to roll back the progress made in previous years,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump’s executive order “falls sadly and seriously short of what is required to combat the epidemic of racial injustice and police brutality that is murdering hundreds of Black Americans.”

“The Executive Order lacks meaningful, mandatory accountability measures to end misconduct," she said. "During this moment of national anguish, we must insist on bold change, not meekly surrender to the bare minimum.”

McConnell says he’ll announce Wednesday when Senate will vote on police reform bill

Update 3:40 p.m. EDT June 16: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he will announce Wednesday whether the Senate will take up a police reform bill before the July 4 recess.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the sole African American Republican in the Senate, has been crafting the GOP legislative package, which will include new restrictions on police chokeholds and greater use of police body cameras, among other provisions.

White House releases text of Trump executive order on policing

Update 2:25 p.m. EDT June 16: The White House released the text Tuesday afternoon of an executive order on policing that was signed earlier in the day by President Donald Trump.

The order will require state and local law enforcement agencies to be certified by independent credentialing bodies chosen by the U.S. Attorney General in order to receive federal funding. In their reviews, credentialing bodies should address topics including “policies and training regarding use–of-force and de-escalation techniques; performance management tools, such as early warning systems that help to identify officers who may require intervention; and best practices regarding community engagement.”

They will have to confirm that agencies have use-of-force policies in line with state, federal and local laws and that the agencies are not using chokeholds except in cases in which an officer’s life is in danger, according to the order.

The order will also establish a database that tracks police officers with excessive use of force complaints in their records. And it would give police departments a financial incentive to adopt best practices and encourage co-responder programs, in which social workers join police when they respond to nonviolent calls involving mental health, addiction and homeless issues.

>> Read the full Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities

75-year-old protester pushed by police in Buffalo, New York has fractured skull, attorney says

Update 1:20 p.m. EDT June 16: A lawyer representing the protester who was seen on video bleeding from his ears after being shoved earlier this month by a Buffalo police officer said the 75-year-old has a fractured skull, according to CNN.

Attorney Kelly Zarcone told CNN that her client, Martin Gugino, has been unable to walk since the June 4 run-in with police at a protest against police brutality in Buffalo.

“I am not at liberty to elaborate at this time other than to confirm that his skull was fractured," Zarcone said. "While he is not able to walk yet, we were able to have a short conversation before he became too tired. He is appreciative of all of the concern about him but he is still focused on the issues rather than himself.”

Two Buffalo police officers were suspended without pay and charged with second-degree assault for the incident.

Trump meets with families of people who were killed by police

Update 12:55 p.m. EDT June 16: President Donald Trump said he met Tuesday with families of people who have been killed by police officers, including Botham Jean, Antwon Rose, Atatiana Jefferson and several others.

“Your loved ones will not have died in vain,” he said Tuesday before signing an executive order on police reform. Addressing the families, he said, “I can never imagine your pain or the depth of your anguish, but I can promise to fight for justice for all of our people.”

Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that White House officials said is aimed at promoting accountability in law enforcement. It includes a provision that establishes a database for tracking officers with excessive use of force complaints and bans law enforcement officers from using chokeholds except in situations where their lives are in danger.

Executive order will encourage police departments to adopt high standards, Trump says

Update 12:40 p.m. EDT June 16: President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the executive order he’s signing encourages police departments across the country “to adopt the highest professional standards to serve their communities.”

“These standards will be as high and as strong as there is on Earth,” Trump said at a news conference before signing the order. “The vast majority of police officers are selfless and courageous public servants and they are great men and women.”

The president said that the executive order will bar police officers from using chokeholds, except for in situations in which their lives are at risk, and provide more funding for people such as social workers to act as “co-responders” with police.

Trump to sign executive order on police reform

Update 12:05 p.m. EDT June 16: Embracing a new priority, President Donald Trump is set to announce executive actions on police procedures and Senate Republicans are preparing a package of policing changes as the GOP rushes to respond to mass demonstrations over the deaths of George Floyd and other black Americans.

The president is expected to sign an executive order on safe policing for safe communities Tuesday afternoon.

It’s a sudden shift for the Republican Party, one Democrats are watching warily, and a crush of activity that shows how quickly the mass protests over police violence and racial prejudice are transforming national politics.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declared that Republicans are developing “a serious proposal to reform law enforcement.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee will gavel in Tuesday afternoon for an extensive hearing on “Police Use of Force and Community Relations,” drawing testimony from the nation’s leading civil rights and law enforcement leaders.

Statue of white supremacist Josephus Daniels removed in North Carolina

Update 11:50 a.m. EDT June 16: A statue of Josephus Daniels, a lifelong white supremacist and former publisher of The News & Observer, was taken down Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to the newspaper.

“The time is right,” Daniels’ great-grandson Frank Daniels III told The News & Observer. “I don’t think anyone would say that it’s not the appropriate time to move the statue of Josephus to a more appropriate location.”

Frank Daniels III said the statue will be put into storage until a new home can be found for it on private property, according to The News & Observer.

Family members told the newspaper that they hadn’t been pressured to move the statue though protesters in cities nationwide have pulled down or defaced similar monuments during protests over racism and police violence.

NYPD will begin releasing body camera footage within 30 days, mayor says

Update 11:05 a.m. EDT June 16: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new policy Monday requiring police to release footage from body-worn cameras within 30 days under some circumstances.

De Blasio said the new policy will apply in cases in which:

• An officer discharges his or her weapon and does or could have hit someone
• An officer discharges his or her Taser in a way that results in death or substantial bodily harm
• The use of force by an officer results in death or great bodily harm

“When one of these three criteria is met it is crucial that the information comes out promptly and that people have faith it will come out, and it will come out objectively,” de Blasio said Tuesday at a news conference.

“That creates trust. That creates accountability. That says to the many, many good officers that ... the whole truth will come out from what they saw -- from their literal perspective. And it says to any officer who doesn’t yet fully understand their responsibility that they will be held accountable and there will be consequences.”

Previously, disclosure of footage from body-worn cameras had been allowed at the discretion of the police commissioner under very narrow circumstances, de Blasio said. About 24,000 body-worn cameras have been deployed by the New York City Police Department, the most in the nation.

“We recognize the power of body-worn cameras but body-worn cameras are only as powerful as the transparency that comes with them,” de Blasio said, calling the new policy “another step toward a more accountable system.”

Columbus statue removed from park in St. Louis

Update 10:35 a.m. EDT June 16: Crews worked Tuesday to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus from a popular park in south St. Louis after protesters in cities nationwide began to tear down similar monuments during demonstrations against racism and police brutality.

The Board of Commissioners for St. Louis’ Tower Grove Park voted in favor of removing the statue, which was placed in the park 140 years ago. Officials said the statue was originally meant to celebrate immigrants in the area. However, park officials noted that “now, for many, it symbolizes a historical disregard for indigenous peoples and cultures and destruction of their communities.”

“By taking this action, Tower Grove Park reaffirms its commitment to being a place of welcome, and to caring for the people’s park in the best way possible,” park officials said in a statement.

Attorney says police officers are victims of rush to judgment in the death of Manuel Ellis

Update 10:05 a.m. EDT June 16: An attorney for two Tacoma, Washington, police officers under investigation for the death of Manuel Ellis told KIRO-TV that he welcomes a state-led inquiry into how Ellis died.

“We not only welcome that, we embrace it," said Michael Staropoli, who is representing officers Matthew Collins and Masyih Ford. “We need to wait patiently -- understandably, with urgency -- for the full picture, the full story to come out."

According to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office, Ellis died from "physical restraint with contributing conditions of methamphetamine intoxication and a dilated heart.” The medical examiner noted that it was unlikely that Ellis would have died from being restrained alone, according to KIRO-TV.

“There’s physical restraint. Nobody’s denying that. Nobody’s disputing that,” said Staropoli. “There was forced used to get there because it was necessary, because Mr. Ellis was not compliant. But that isn’t what was the cause of his death.”

>> Read more on KIRO7.com

10 arrested during demonstrations in Portland, Oregon

Update 7:18 a.m. EDT June 16: Ten people were arrested overnight during protests in Portland, Oregon, police said early Tuesday.

According to Portland police, a Multnomah County sheriff’s deputy was struck by a rock during the demonstrations and is being treated at a nearby hospital. Protesters also set a fire and looted a store, police said in a news release.

“Due to the unsafe criminal activity, a civil disturbance was declared just after 11 p.m. and the crowd was advised to leave the area or be subject to arrest of use of force,” the release said.

Police said some of the arrests were in connection with assaults or attempted assaults of officers.

Read more here.

21 protesters detained during demonstration at Tennessee Capitol

Update 3:31 a.m. EDT June 16: The Tennessee Highway Patrol tweeted early Tuesday that it detained 21 protesters at a demonstration in Nashville, CNN is reporting.

Troopers said they repeatedly warned the protesters, who had gathered on the state Capitol grounds, that anyone who remained at the Capitol after 11 p.m. would be arrested.

“The crowd refused to leave and sat down, locked legs and arms,” the tweet read.

Of the 21 people detained, 19 were cited and two were arrested and charged with public intoxication, troopers said.

Read more here.

Man shot, critically injured during Albuquerque demonstration

Update 2:14 a.m. EDT June 16: A man protesting for removal of a statue outside the Albuquerque Museum was shot late Monday night, multiple media outlets reported.

The protest at Tiguex Park was for the removal of a Juan de Oñate statue, “La Jornada,” but shots were fired into the crowd moments before protesters attempted to topple the monument with a chain, KOB-TV reported.

In an overnight tweet, Albuquerque police gave an update on their investigation into the shooting.

“The incident at Tiguex Park has ended peacefully and APD’s Emergency Response Teams are leaving the Old Town area. The FBI is currently assisting APD violent crime investigators as they interview individuals who were involved in the shooting,” the department tweeted shortly before 1 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

Police said the investigation was “in the preliminary stages." The shooting victim’s condition was listed as critical but stable, authorities said.

“We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence," police Chief Michael Geier said in a statement. “If this is true will be holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including federal hate group designation and prosecution."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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