Atlanta Cop Had ‘No Idea’ Who He Was Shooting

An internal affairs investigation has revealed that, Officer James R. Burns who shot and killed an unarmed Black man didn’t have any idea who was inside the car at the time of his shooting.

The Atlanta cop, Officer James R. Burns was dismissed from the police force earlier on July 1 following the killing of a 22-year-old Deravis Caine Rogers. Per the report released on Wednesday, the cop had no idea who he was pursuing in the car and instantly fired his gun as the driver moved away.

Sgt. Warren Pickard told 11 Alive News that Burns acted in a way they simply cannot support. In his statement, he said, “He had no idea who was in the vehicle. He had no idea if that was the vehicle he should be concerned with. He just discharged his weapon.”  This is contrary to what Officer Burns told investigators, saying that he shot the car because it was trying to run over him and he was afraid for his life.

#DeravisRogers. The whole world will soon know this name. Broke NO LAWS. Shot while driving. https://t.co/eFYBi7i9Jv pic.twitter.com/KXDX7LCJHJ

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) July 14, 2016

Pickard further revealed that evidence including dash cam videos showed no obvious threat to Burns. Meanwhile, the Georgian Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting incident to ascertain any form of criminal violation.

The father of the deceased told the TV station that this is a murder and hence they demand justice.

@Atlanta_Police why has this former officer not been charged with murder? #DeravisRogers #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/yPIapvfIVc

— kees26 (@kees26) July 15, 2016

Isn’t shooting without having an idea if it is a suspect or just driver a “criminal violation”?  There is no need for additional questions, the officer has broken the law, he killed an innocent man and he should face punishment. The question is not whether he should be prosecuted or not, but rather when and what kind of punishment he should face.

This is another example of police “professionalism”. Rather inexplicably, such police mistakes usually happen to Black men; hardly will we hear the same story about a white driver being occasionally shot dead by a police officer.

Ensure to visit this page for all exclusive news and updates. Kindly SHARE this article on any social media of your choice.