‘Inciting with misinformation’: Fox’s Geraldo criticized for claims Atlanta shooting could’ve ended peacefully with Uber ride home

Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera claims the Atlanta shooting of Rayshard Brooks should have ended with a cab ride home instead of violence – a take critics are saying ignores the facts and unfairly incites people.

“No way Wendy’s encounter should’ve ended w #RayshardBrooks dead,” Rivera tweeted on Thursday. “I advocate for cops, but you can’t overlook unnecessary escalation of epic 43-minute encounter that in a bygone era could’ve ended with drunk taking cab or Uber home.”

The Fox News contributor followed up by saying the incident proves “black people face special challenges dealing [with] cops.”

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard argued the officers acted “recklessly” – something Rivera appears to agree with, but that critics argue doesn’t align with the facts of the case.

“You’re stoking division with zero evidence to back up your claims. The escalation and the assault was initiated by Mr Brooks. Please stop inciting your audience with misinformation,” conservative author Dan Bongino tweeted to Rivera.

Bongino followed up his critique with a video slamming Rivera’s “absurd” claim that the incident could have ended with a ride home in a cab or Uber.

Others questioned how cops could release a suspect after that person had already failed a breathalyzer test and then tried to take a weapon and escape.

President Donald Trump himself has called the Atlanta incident “terrible,” but warned that you cannot “resist a police officer” the way the video appears to show Brooks did. “I hope he gets a fair shake, because police have not been treated fairly in our country,” he added, referring to former officer Garrett Rolfe, who has been fired, and faces 11 charges related to Brooks’s death. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.  

Brooks died last week after encountering two police officers at a Wendy’s in Atlanta. Cops were responding to a suspicious-person call, with Brooks reportedly asleep in his vehicle in the drive-through lane of the fast-food restaurant. After failing a field sobriety test, a scuffle broke out between Brooks and officers, some of which was captured on video, with Brooks eventually grabbing one of the officer’s tasers and then being shot. He died later in hospital, while undergoing surgery.

Brooks died last week after encountering two police officers at a Wendy’s in Atlanta. Cops were responding to a suspicious-person call, with Brooks reportedly asleep in his vehicle in the drive-through lane of the fast-food restaurant. After failing a field sobriety test, a scuffle broke out between Brooks and officers, some of which was captured on video, with Brooks eventually grabbing one of the officer’s tasers and then being shot. He died later in hospital, while undergoing surgery.

Video from the night set social media alight, with many activists comparing the shooting to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.

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