The district attorney in Atlanta who is handling the case of the police murder of Rayshard Brooks was defeated in a runoff on Tuesday after serving 23 years as Fulton County’s top attorney.
Paul Howard, who also handled the Ray Lewis murder case and the Atlanta school cheat scandal, lost to Fani Willis, who worked for Howard for years in the district attorney’s office. None of the candidates garnered 50 percent of the vote in the primary June, leading to Tuesday’s runoff.
Tuesday’s results were definitive, with Willis routing Howard with more than 73 percent of the vote, compared to roughly 27 percent for the bet. No Republicans were on the ballot for the job.
Howard suffered a defeat on Tuesday night, calling the results the culmination of ‘the worst’ [race] in America “and promised Willis to help ease the transition to the role of the county’s district attorney.
“What’s important to me is to protect the people of this community, and I want to make sure that when their first day in office is a reality, that they continue to protect the people who can live in Fulton County. , “he said. “I came with pride and I go away with pride.”
Howard showed his work to reduce the population of the Fulton County Jail, combat violent crime and murder, and prosecute police officers accused of killing Black men.
One of Howard’s most famous decisions was his call to prosecute former police officers Devin Brosnan and Garrett Rolfe, beating them with murder charges for shooting Brooks in the back as he fled from officers in an Atlanta parking lot. Wendy’s. Critics said the decision was ahead of a state investigation and was intended to boost his own political campaign, but Howard denied such allegations, saying he had been prosecuted since taking office in 1997.
Howard is likely to leave office with a mixed legacy, leading to the successful prosecution of teachers and administrators in the Atlanta Public School cheat scandal and efforts to reduce return in Atlanta. However, he was also considered unsuccessful in getting a jury to convict then-NFL player Ray Lewis and two others with murder, and he paid $ 6,500 to settle a case before the state commission over allegations that he was playing his role. in non-profit non-profit organizations, according to WSB.
Three women have also come forward to accuse him of sexual abuse and discrimination, claiming he was fired.
Willis on Tuesday thanked her supporters for having “the courage to stand up to an official and for what was good.”
“I want to thank the voters of this county for believing in me. Tonight is a good night. We made ‘herstory’. I’m just humbled, and thank you, ”she said.
.
