Rolfe, who has since been fired from the police department, was also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violations of office, and other offences punishable by decades behind the bar.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Garrett Rolfe, who fired the fatal shots at Rayshard Brooks, could face a possible sentence of life without parole or the death penalty.

The other officer, Devin Brosnan, who remains with the Atlanta Police Department and has been placed on administrative desk duty, is also facing charges. Among them is aggravated assault, which carries a possible sentence of one to 20 years in prison.

The district attorney said Brosnan is cooperating with prosecutors and will testify, saying it was the first time in 40 such cases in which an officer had come forward to do so. But an attorney for Brosnan emphatically denied he had agreed to be a prosecution witness and said he was not pleading guilty to anything.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot during a struggle and died after surgery at a local hospital, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on Saturday at a press conference that the city’s police chief had submitted her resignation after roughly 150 protesters marched outside Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot late Friday.

Bottoms said, “Because of her desire that Atlanta is a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country, Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as Police Chief so that the city may move forward with urgency and rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities”.

Garrett Rolfe was fired, and a second officer, Devin Bronsan, was placed on administrative leave for their involvement in the death of Rayshard Brooks, 27, on Friday night, Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos said.

The announcement came after Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms recommended that the officer who fired the shot be terminated immediately.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Rayshard Brooks was shot during a struggle and died after surgery at a local hospital.

Brooks had been asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-thru, causing other customers to drive around the car, the Bureau of Investigation said. Police were dispatched to Wendy’s around 10:30 p.m. and conducted a sobriety test on Brooks, who failed the test, according to the officials.