On Friday, a murder warrant was issued for Officer James R. Burns, the Atlanta cop who shot an unarmed motorist who was later determined by investigators to have posed no threat to him, according to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.
“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 in a statement.
According to Howard’s statement, Burns will faces charges of felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of his oath of office.
It’s unusual for a district attorney to seek an arrest before an officer appears before a grand jury, but Howard said that the move was made because of the evidence that investigators had found so far.
Earlier this month, Chief George N. Turner fired Burns, less than two weeks after Deravis Caine Rogers was shot and killed, saying that Burns’ rationale for why he pulled the trigger was contradicted by the evidence and that Rogers did not pose a threat to Burns when he was shot.