Atlanta fire department releases photos of white woman who burned down Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was shot
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: The Atlanta Fire Department, on Wednesday, June 17, released clearer photographs of one of the two women suspected of burning down the Wendy's restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was shot dead by a police officer.
Authorities also issued an award of $20,000 to anyone who can give information leading to the arrest of the arsonists who targeted the Wendy's on Saturday, June 13, off University Avenue. The latest pictures released by the city fire department shows a white woman wearing a black mini-dress with a purple cardigan wrapped around her waits as she walks into a store. In the picture, she is also seen sporting a ponytail and a pair of sunglasses on her head. While in another, she can be seen laughing in front of Wendy's restaurant as it is engulfed in flames.
The woman in the pictures is the same one who was caught in a video that showed her setting fire to the restaurant as protesters around slammed her for it. The protesters then filmed the incident to prove that the Black Lives Matter supporters were not responsible for the arson.
The Atlanta Police Foundation, in a statement, said that anyone who recognizes her could claim $10,000 from them and an additional $10,000 from the Georgia Arson Control Board for offering information that leads to her arrest. Reports state that there are currently two white female suspects in the arson case.
Atlanta police, last week, had released pictures on social media of another white woman responsible who was "attempting to hide her identity" by wearing a black baseball cap and face mask. Atlanta chief Randall Slaughter said: "Solving this arson crime has become a top priority for me. The setting of fires is a distraction from the message that the demonstrators and protesters are trying to put forward."
Chief fire investigator James Oliver, in a statement this week, revealed that the fire had been started by multiple people using devices like a blow torch and fireworks. The eatery was set ablaze during protests against Brooks' killing by a police officer.
A video from the scene of the protest went viral which showed the two female suspects fanning the flames. Protesters, in the clip, can be heard condemning the woman and insisting that the women were not among the protesters. "Look at the white girl trying to set s*** on fire," the man recording the video can heard saying. "Look at that white girl trying to burn down a Wendy's. This wasn't us," he adds. "This wasn't us!"
Brooks was shot dead on Friday, June 12, in the parking lot of Wendy's in University Avenue, Atlanta, shortly after he failed a sobriety test. The 27-year-old wrestled with the officers attempting to detain him, stole a taser from them and began running when former Atlanta Police Department officer Garrett Rolfe fired shots at him. Rolfe, 27, has been fired from the department and could face murder charges in the case. Another officer at the scene, Devin Brosnan, has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. An autopsy released on Sunday, June 14, declared Brooks' death a homicide, showing he suffered gunshot wounds to the back.