Atlanta police officials said they have arrested a suspect wanted in the alleged arson attack of a Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was shot by an officer.
Natalie White, 29, was arrested by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office after Brooks’ funeral ended, according to the office.
She was identified as a suspect in the arson, and Atlanta fire investigators obtained a warrant for her arrest.
When the fire occurred earlier this month, Black Lives Matter protests were happening in the area. Atlanta fire officials previously said it was difficult for crews to respond because demonstrators blocked them.
Brooks, 27, was shot twice by former officer Garrett Rolfe after he resisted arrest when he was questioned for a possible DUI.
Police were called to the Wendy’s on June 12 over complaints of a car blocking the drive-thru lane. An officer found Brooks asleep in the car. Police body-camera video showed Brooks and officers having a relatively calm and respectful conversation for more than 40 minutes before things rapidly turned violent when officers tried to handcuff him and Brooks resisted. Brooks and the two officers wrestled, and then Brooks grabbed one of their stun guns and fired it in their direction as he ran through the parking lot.
An autopsy found Brooks was shot twice in the back.
Lawyers for Rolfe have said the officer feared for his safety and that of others around him and was justified in shooting Brooks. Rolfe opened fire after hearing a sound “like a gunshot and saw a flash in front of him,” apparently from the stun gun, they said.
