3 Rayshard Brooks Shooting Protesters Indicted On Arson Charges For Wendy's Fire

ATLANTA, GA — Three people have been indicted on arson charges on accusations of burning down the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer in June 2020.

Natalie Hanna White, Chisom Kingston and John Wesley Wade were each charged with two counts of arson and one count of conspiracy to commit arson, by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, according to court records.

Prosecutors said the three set fire to the fast-food restaurant, at 125 University Ave., a day after Brooks was shot by a police officer during a DUI arrest attempt. Brooks tried to escape Atlanta Police Officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan, and struggled with the two policemen after he failed a field sobriety test in the Wendy’s parking lot. He grabbed one officer's Taser and ran away, turning briefly to point it at them when Rolfe fired his police service weapon at the fleeing Brooks, fatally injuring him.

The shooting contributed to the spark of national unrest that summer over social justice as police killings of Botham Jean, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd led to protests and sometimes riots.

Then-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms fired Rolfe, and Police Chief Erika Shields resigned, within 24 hours of the shooting.

White, who was a close friend of Brooks, turned herself in to police weeks after the fire that destroyed the restaurant. Wade and Kingston were both taken into police custody in July, and Wade was arrested again in August on a charge of criminal attempt to incite a riot, jail records show.

Although Rolfe was charged and indicted by the former Fulton County DA, District Attorney Fani Willis recused herself from prosecuting the officer, which rankled Brooks’ widow, Tomika Miller. Rolfe eventually was reinstated as an Atlanta Police officer.