"This is about law and order, but it's about justice also," says U.S. President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON, June 15 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will sign an executive order on police reform on Tuesday.
"The overall goal is we want law and order and we want it done fairly, justly. We want it done safely," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"This is about law and order, but it's about justice also," he said.
The move comes amid growing calls for action following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota late last month, which has triggered nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racism.
Combo photo shows police officer Derek Chauvin (L) and George Floyd. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while the latter one kept saying "I can't breathe." Floyd later died in police custody. (Xinhua)
The outcry has intensified after a white police officer shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, in Atlanta, Georgia last week.
"The trust that we have with the police force is broken and the only way to heal some of these wounds is through a conviction and a drastic change with the police department," Brooks's cousin said Monday.
Asked about the Brooks case on Monday afternoon, Trump called it "very disturbing."
"I thought it was a terrible situation," he said. "I studied it closely. I'm going to get some reports done today, very strong reports, and we'll have a little more to say about it tomorrow."
Brooks was shot twice in the back and died from organ damage and blood loss from the wounds, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement on Sunday.
Garrett Rolfe, the officer who shot Brooks, was fired. A second officer, Devin Brosnan, was placed on administrative duty. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned over the shooting.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office is hoping to announce a decision about possible charges by the middle of next week.
