3 people indicted in burning of Atlanta Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed
Three people were indicted on arson charges Thursday in connection with the burning of a Wendy’s in Atlanta where police killed Rayshard Brooks in June 2020.
Natalie White, 31; John Wade, 35; and Chisom Kingston, 24, are accused of starting a fire that resulted in the fast food restaurant being reduced to a pile of rubble. All three were charged with arson within weeks of the blaze and released on bond.
Attorneys for White and Kingston both said video of the incident would prove their clients’ innocence. White was the highest profile defendant because Brooks was heard saying her name shortly before he was killed. Wade organized many protests in and around Atlanta following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, fell asleep in his car at the Wendy’s drive-thru on June 12, 2020, and police were called. Officer Garrett Rolfe attempted to arrest Brooks for DUI.
Brooks grabbed Rolfe’s Taser and ran away, firing a haphazard electroshock charge as he ran. Rolfe responded by fatally shooting Brooks in the back. He then walked up to the dying man and kicked him, delaying any medical aid for at least two minutes. Rolfe was charged with felony murder.
The killing sparked weeks of charged protests near the Wendy’s, including an impromptu rally set up by Wade on June 13, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The fast food establishment burned down that same day.
White, Wade and Kingston were each charged with two counts of first-degree arson and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree arson.
Kingston’s attorney confirmed his client was at the protest but said he had nothing to do with the fire. Brooks was heard describing White as his girlfriend in body-camera video. Her attorneys have said the two were close but declined to confirm any relationship.
With News Wire Services
