Ex-Atlanta Cop Who Fatally Shot Unarmed Black Motorist Booked for Felony Murder

Ex-Atlanta police officer James Burns, who was fired July 1 after fatally shooting an unarmed black motorist June 22, turned himself into authorities Saturday at the Fulton County jail, according to 11 Alive News. He was booked on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault.

Burns told officers during an internal investigation late last month that he blindly shot into the passenger window of a car—killing 22-year-old Deravis Caine Rogers—​not knowing if the people inside the car were the same ones Burns had been asked to investigate. He then argued that he shot at the car because the driver tried to run him over, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. An Atlanta police spokesperson told the Journal-Constitution that dash cam footage from Burns's car contradict that claim.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said he plans on taking the case to a grand jury next month, after the investigation determined that Burns used excessive force.

“By reason of the evidence presented by several eye-witnesses, videos, and the findings of the Atlanta Police Department, we will proceed in this case in the same manner as any other defendant similarly charged — arrest, indictment and resolution,” Howard said, also per the Journal-Constitution.

The arrest came after weeks of tension between police and Black Lives Matter supporters in Atlanta. Just last week, hundreds of Black Lives Matter supporters gathered in downtown Atlanta for a peaceful protest, leading to a standoff with the police.