The Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed by Atlanta police last month is being torn down.
Photos and videos from an Atlanta Journal-Constitution photographer on the scene show construction crews using an excavator to demolish the charred remains of the University Avenue restaurant.
“This is being done in a thoughtful way, with safety as the priority and in cooperation with city officials,” a Wendy’s official told AJC.com. “There are no additional details to share at this time regarding this site.”
Tuesday’s demolition comes a little more than a week after demonstrators who had camped out at the site following Brooks’ death were forced off the property.
The Wendy’s became ground zero for protests after Brooks was shot in the parking lot following an attempted DUI arrest in the drive-thru line June 12. The restaurant was set on fire the following day during one of those demonstrations.
RELATED: Brooks killing site 'festers' after police allow armed occupation
Garrett Rolfe, the officer who fired the deadly shots, was charged with murder in connection with Brooks’ death and terminated from the department. He is free on $500,000 bond.
MORE: Ex-APD officer charged in Rayshard Brooks killing released on $500K bond
For weeks, protesters remained at the torched restaurant and refused to leave until demands for police reform and a memorial to Brooks’ memory were met.
ALSO: Atlanta protest organizer among 2 more arrested in arson at Wendy's
That changed when city leaders sent officers to clear the site July 6 in response to the killing of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner, who was shot across the street from the Wendy’s during a violent July 4 weekend in Atlanta.
Credit: JOHN SPINK/ JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK/ JSPINK@AJC.COM
RELATED: Tensions high as campers evicted from Atlanta Wendy's after child death
MORE: Protesters march on Atlanta Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was killed
Secoriea was riding in a SUV with her mother when they exited onto University Avenue shortly before 10 p.m., police said. The driver tried to turn into a parking lot in the 1200 block of Pryor Road but was confronted by a “group of armed individuals who had blocked the entrance,” investigators said.
ALSO: 5 dead, more than 2 dozen injured in Atlanta holiday weekend shootings
As many as four armed civilians opened fire on the SUV, according to police.
RELATED: 'Person of interest' in Secoriea Turner's death says he was not involved
While authorities have released photos of two persons of interest in the case, there have been no arrests in the girl’s death.
Credit: JOHN SPINK/ JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK/ JSPINK@AJC.COM
Chris Lemons, who leads the Peoplestown Neighborhood Association, is glad the Wendy’s was demolished.
MORE: Peoplestown grapples with aftermath of police shooting
"We did not want any other accidents or incidents to occur because of the building being burned down and not be structurally safe at this point," he said.
— Staff writer Jeremy Redmon contributed to this article.
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