May 31, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Atlanta mayor: 2 officers fired for excessive force against protesters

Orion Rummler

Police form a line in an intersection — Police in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 30. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Sunday that two of the city's police officers have been fired after body cameras showed they used excessive force against two college students protesting the death of George Floyd, AP reports.

The big picture: Thousands of Americans have been protesting police brutality and racism for six days, in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, EMT Breonna Taylor, jogger Ahmaud Arbery and countless other black Americans.

What they're saying: One student was released from police custody early on Sunday after the Georgia NAACP announced it was "working to secure the release of these two local college students who were ripped from a vehicle and tased tonight in Atlanta."

Atlanta police chief Erika Shields, who made the decision to fire the officers alongside the mayor, called the body camera footage "really shocking to watch," per AP.

Go deeper: U.S. enters 6th day of nationwide protests over George Floyd's killing

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Atlanta mayor: 2 officers fired for excessive force against protesters

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