The police officer who shot dead a black man in the US city of Atlanta has been sacked after protesters set fire to the fast-food restaurant where the man was killed.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, had fallen asleep in his car while waiting in the drive-through lane of a Wendy’s outlet south of the city centre on Friday night.

Police say after failing an alcohol test Mr Brooks resisted arrest and took an officer’s taser during a struggle.

Video of the incident shows Mr Brooks running away from the officers before he is shot.

Police released a statement saying officer Garrett Rolfe had been fired following the shooting.

Another officer involved in the incident, Devin Bronsan, was put on administrative leave.

Both officers are white. The city’s police chief also resigned following the incident.

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Demonstrators set fire to Atlanta fast-food restaurant

Dozens of demonstrators took to the streets outside the restaurant on Saturday afternoon local time in a fresh wave of Black Lives Matters protests after video of the incident was shared on social media.

Protesters on Saturday night shut down an interstate highway in both directions and set fire to the Wendy’s restaurant where Mr Brooks was fatally shot the night before.

Images on local television showed the restaurant in flames for more than 45 minutes before fire crews arrived to extinguish the blaze, protected by a line of police officers.

a headshot of a male police officer in uniform with a shaved head
Garrett Rolfe was fired from the Atlanta Police Department after the shooting of Rayshard Brooks.(Atlanta Police Department)

By that time the building was reduced to charred rubble next to a petrol station.

Other demonstrators marched onto a highway, stopping traffic, before police used a line of squad cars to hold them back.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she had accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields after the killing, with Rodney Bryant becoming the city’s interim police boss.

She had earlier called for the firing of the officer who allegedly shot Mr Brooks, a father of four who had celebrated his daughter’s eighth birthday on the same day.

Mr Brooks died after being taken to an Atlanta hospital, while one of the two officers involved was treated and released for unspecified injuries.

“I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer,” Ms Bottoms said at a media conference.

a wendy's fast food restaurant burning with a person standing nearby
A Wendy’s burns following a rally against racial inequality and the death of Rayshard Brooks.(Reuters: Elijah Nouvelage)

“I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do.”

Ms Shields said in a statement that she was quitting as police chief “out of a deep and abiding love for this city and this department”.

“It is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” she said.

rip rayshard spray painted on a street sign as fire rises behind
The Wendy’s restaurant was engulfed in flames during protests.(AP: Brynn Anderson)

Brooks running away from police when he was shot

Authorities said Mr Brooks had taken the policeman’s taser, but was running away when he was shot.

Chris Stewart, a lawyer for the Brooks family, said the officer who shot Mr Brooks should be charged for “an unjustified use of deadly force, which equals murder”.

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Protesters gather at scene of the police shooting in Atlanta.

“You can’t say a taser is a non-lethal weapon, but when an African American grabs it and runs with it, now it’s some kind of deadly, lethal weapon that calls for you to unload on somebody.”

Investigators said video taken by an eyewitness was aiding their probe into the incident.

police with shields walk in a line toward on a freeway at night in Atlanta
Police with riot shields advance to detain protesters for blocking traffic on an Atlanta freeway.(Reuters: Elijah Nouvelage)

It shows Mr Brooks on the ground outside his car, as he struggles with two police officers.

He grabs a taser from one officer and after a few seconds he breaks free from the officers and begins to run.

A big crowd of people holding signs walk down a city street, some wearing masks, on sunny afternoon.
The shooting death of Rayshard Brooks triggered a fresh wave of Black Lives Matters protests in Atlanta.(Reuters: Elijah Nouvelage)

One officer then uses a taser on him.

They then run out of the frame of the video.

A young black woman talks into a hand-held microphone in a rally with a crowd of people behind.
Protesters took to the streets of Atlanta after video of Rayshard Brooks’ shooting was released on social media.(Reuters: Elijah Nouvelage)

Gunshots are heard along with someone yelling, “I got him!”

The video then shows Mr Brooks prone on the ground.

Protesters gather outside restaurant

Among the demonstrators gathered outside the Wendy’s restaurant on Saturday were members of Mr Brooks’ family, including his sister-in-law Crystal Brooks.

“He wasn’t causing anyone any harm,” she said.

“The police went up to the car and, even though the car was parked, they pulled him out of the car and started tussling with him.”

She added: “He did grab the taser, but he just grabbed the taser and ran.”

‘Independent’ investigation launched

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr said his office had “already launched an intense, independent investigation of the incident”, while awaiting the findings of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Stacey Abrams, former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives and a possible Democratic vice-presidential pick, weighed into the debate on Twitter.

“Sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death,” Ms Abrams wrote.

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The city, which has one of the country’s biggest African-American populations, has already seen demonstrations over last month’s death in police custody of George Floyd.

The incident is likely to add to tensions between police and community groups across the US, with calls in some major cities to defund the police.

The Minneapolis City Council has already pledged to disband its police force after George Floyd died on May 25 when a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

ABC/wires

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