Filmmaker Tyler Perry has offered to pay for the funeral of Rayshard Brooks, the 27-year-old black man shot by police in Atlanta last week.
In a press conference on Monday, L. Chris Stewart, the attorney representing the family of Rayshard Brooks, confirmed that Tyler Perry offered to pay for the funeral services.
“We want to thank and acknowledge Tyler Perry, who we spoke with, who will be taking care of the funeral for the family,” said Stewart, as reported by Deadline. “It’s support like that and it’s people who are actually in this community — that love the community, that want healing and families like this to never have to go through something like this — to step forward.”
Tyler Perry himself has not publicly acknowledged the charitable offer. As noted by CNN, Perry has a history of making such offers in the face of tragedy.
Last year, the media mogul paid expenses for the family of Tynesha Evans after her boyfriend allegedly shot and killed her at a bank in Alpharetta, Georgia, just north of Atlanta.
In 2016, he reportedly offered to pay for the funeral for 15-month-old twin girls Ariel Roxanne North and Alaynah Maryanne North, who died after being left in a hot car in Carrollton, Georgia.
Rayshard Brooks was killed in Atlanta, Georgia, last Friday night after an altercation with police in a Wendy’s parking lot, where police were called on reports that Brooks was “passed out” behind the wheel of his vehicle in the drive-through line.
Body camera footage released by the police department on Sunday shows that the situation remained mostly calm until Brooks tested as over the limit on the breathalyzer. When the officers tried to handcuff Brooks for driving while under the influence, Brooks attempted to flee, grappling with police, who repeatedly warned him to “stop fighting” and that he would “get Tased.” In the struggle, Brooks managed to get ahold of one of the officers’ Tasers. One of the officers then used his Taser on Brooks, who was running away before turning and allegedly attempting to shoot the officer with the stolen Taser. It was at this point that an officer fired on Brooks.
On Wednesday, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard charged Officer Garrett Rolfe, who pulled the trigger on Brooks, with 11 counts, “including felony murder and assault with a deadly weapon,” according to The Daily Wire. Rolfe’s partner, Devin Brosnan, has been placed on administrative leave and currently faces three charges.
Rolfe and Brosnan responded to the charges through their attorneys.
“The decision to initiate charges by the Fulton County DA’s office is irrational and obviously based on factors which should have nothing to do with the proper administration of justice,” Brosnan’s attorney said. “This was not a rush to judgment. This was a rush to misjudgment.”
“Officer Rolfe is well known to the courts and there is no compelling reason to bring any charges against them before the GBI has completed its investigation and published its findings,” Rolfe’s attorney said.
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