Atlanta police shoot black man dead, police chief resigns

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said the deadly confrontation started with officers responding to a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant's drive-thru lane. The GBI said Brooks failed a field sobriety test and then resisted officers' attempts to arrest him.

Atlanta:Authorities in the US state of Georgia said on Saturday a man was shot and killed in a late-night struggle with Atlanta police outside a fast-food restaurant after he failed a field sobriety test and resisted arrest.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was asked by the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the shooting, which happened at a Wendy's restaurant late Friday.

The GBI said its agents were reviewing video taken by witnesses.

The agency also posted to Twitter a plea for witnesses to come forward, saying some at the scene chose not to be interviewed by GBI agents.

Atlanta's police chief Erika Shields stepped down as the killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks sparked a new wave of protests in Atlanta after turbulent demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis had simmered down.

Atlanta police announced the termination of Garrett Rolfe following the fatal shooting, and a second officer has been placed on administrative leave early Sunday, a move that follows the Saturday resignation of Atlanta Police Chief.

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Atlanta was among US cities where large crowds of protesters took to the streets.

Local media reported a small crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the Atlanta restaurant where the police shooting occurred overnight.

Officers were responding to a complaint of a man in a vehicle parked in the drive-thru who was asleep, causing customers to drive around the vehicle.

After he failed a field sobriety test, the officers attempted to place the man into custody, according to the GBI.

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But he resisted and a struggle ensued, leading the officer to deploy a Taser.

"Ultimately, when the officer used a Taser, it was ineffective for the suspect," Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek told reporters at the scene Friday night. "It did not stop the aggression of the fight. And so the suspect was able to take the officer's Taser from him."

Peek said a second officer also attempted to use a Taser on the struggling man, but it didn't work against the suspect as well.

The GBI said in a statement it was investigating reports that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser.

The man was transported to a local hospital where he died after surgery, the statement said.

One officer was treated for an injury and discharged from the hospital.

The officers involved in the shooting were not identified.

Once its investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for review.

(AP)