Paul Howard, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia who handled the police killing of Rayshard Brooks, has been defeated in the recent primary election after 23 years in office.
Fani Willis, who prosecuted cases for years in the county district attorney’s office, beat her former boss in the June Democratic primary, but neither contestant received the required 50 percent of the vote, leading to a runoff on July 11.
Willis, who is Black, defeated the incumbent Howard in a runoff by a 3-to-1 margin, according to county election results. With almost 91 percent of precincts reporting, Willis had more than 43,000 votes, about 73 percent of the tally, to Howard’s 15,800 votes, CNN reported.
Willis and Howard are both Democrats. There were no Republican candidates on the ballot during the June primary.
During his concession speech, Howard called the race “the most heated in America” and reminded reporters that politics is a contact sport, CNN reported.
“What is important to me is protecting the people of this community, and I want to make sure that when her first day in office is a reality that she’s able to continue to protect the people who live in Fulton County,” he said.
Howard was the first elected African-American district attorney in Georgia and was re-elected five times.
While he leaves office under a cloud, he said he was proud of his tenure.
“I came with pride and I’m leaving with pride,” he said, explaining he is particularly proud of his efforts to prosecute police officers charged with killing Black men.
Howard was criticized by pro-police ranks for his handling of the Brooks case. Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe shot and killed Brooks on June 12 in a Wendy’s restaurant parking lot. Brooks had fallen asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane. A Wendy’s employee called the police to report it. Brooks was shot twice in the back as he tried to run from police officers. The restaurant was the site of protests and a fire that burned it down.
Five days after the shooting, Howard charged Rolfe with felony murder and 10 other counts. Rolfe, who is out on bond, faces a possible life sentence without parole if convicted.
Another officer involved in the case, Devin Brosnan, is facing aggravated assault and other lesser charges. He is still with the Atlanta Police Department.
Howard vowed that he will continue to combat police brutality in his post-prosecutor life, he said.
“It is really rough when you are a man and you have to tell your kids to watch out for the police and be careful. I don’t think that’s the way we ought to live in this country and so I’m going to be working to change that,” he said.
“My hope has always been that we would have one system of justice, that it would be the same system for the police as it is with any defendants,” Howard said after his defeat. “I’m hoping that Ms. Willis will continue that tradition — that when a policeman is involved in some misconduct that the DA is the person that’s responsible.”
“Chief among Howard’s prosecutions of police was his decision to charge ex-Atlanta police officers Devin Brosnan and Garrett Rolfe in Brooks’ June killing,” CNN reported.
Howard’s D.A. record was mixed with wins and losses. His handling of the trial of NFL player Ray Lewis and two others charged with murdering two men after a Super Bowl party in 2000 was seen as a failure. Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction; the other men were acquitted.
Howard’s controversial decision to prosecute teachers and administrators in the Atlanta Public School cheating scandal ended with 11 defendants convicted on racketeering and other charges.
Howard has promoted his Project Level Up program, aimed at curbing recidivism, and his Conviction Integrity Unit, which involved his office taking another look at the Atlanta child murders of 1979 to 1981.
Howard is under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation over allegations that he illegally padded his government salary with funds from a nonprofit.
Earlier this month, he paid $6,500 to settle a case with the state ethics commission, which had accused him of 14 violations stemming from his alleged failure to disclose his roles in nonprofit organizations, WSB reported.
Howard said previously he would be “totally exonerated” in both matters.
Three women also accused Howard of sexual misconduct, harassment, and gender discrimination. He denied the accusations and deemed the timing as suspicious.
Willis will be the first woman to hold the position of Fulton County District Attorney, NPR reported.
“Y’all we made herstory,” Willis told a group of supporters gathered outside her Midtown Atlanta-area campaign headquarters.
Willis was hired by Howard and worked in his office for 16 years. She was named deputy district attorney of the Complex Trial Division, according to her campaign website. In 2018, she left the D.A.’s office and opened her own practice.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.
On twitter, not many who posted seemed hopeful she will bring justice for Brooks.
Filmmaker, author, and activist Tariq Nasheed tweeted: “Do y’all understand, now that Fani Willis has won the DA race, she is going to squash that case against the white officer who killed #rayshardbrooks What was the purpose of all those people marching around in the streets of Atlanta against unjust police killings?”
Tashia R. Jones tweeted, “This woman Fani Willis will be the corrupt DA for the WS officers and help them get away with murder of #rayshardbrooks! #SMH”
