MOSCOW, December 10 (Sputnik) – Police in Phoenix, Arizona, have disclosed the name of the white police officer who shot and killed Rumain Brisbon, an unarmed 34-year-old black man, several news outlets reported.
The officer was identified as 30-year-old Mark Rine, a member of the police force for seven years when he fatally shot Brisbon on December 2 during a struggle.
"It has been seven days since the incident, and we didn't want to hold off on releasing the name any longer. He's now had time to mitigate any threats he might receive," NBC News quoted Sgt. Trent Crump, a spokesman for the Phoenix police department, as saying.
Crump added that Rine "remains on desk duty while the shooting is investigated."
The incident ignited protests in Phoenix, demanding justice and disclosure of the officer's name.
The officer fired two shots at Brisbon after losing grip of the suspect's hands.
The killing has been likened to those of Michael Brown, a black 18-year-old who was shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Gardner, a 43-year-old asthma patient, also black, from New York City, who was choked to death by a white policeman trying to restrain him. Both police officers responsible for the incidents were not indicted, sparking waves of mass protests against police brutality and racial profiling across the country.
