|
The case sparked
protests in Atlanta, with many saying race was a major factor in
the shooting. It was one in a series of incidents nationwide
where unarmed black men were shot by police, raising questions
of racial bias in U.S. policing.
Prosecutors were not immediately available to comment on the
reports of the indictment from the grand jury, which met behind
closed doors.
Burns was one of three Atlanta police officers who responded to
a report of a suspicious person at an apartment, the Fulton
County district attorney's office previously said. Burns tried
to block Rogers, 22, who was leaving the scene in his car,
prosecutors said.
Even though Rogers "made no attempt to strike the officer and
Burns was safely standing at the rear of his own patrol
vehicle," the officer shot Rogers in the head, killing him,
prosecutors said.
Findling said Burns shouted for Rogers to stop and, when Rogers
did not, it caused the officer to fear for his life and he
opened fire.
(Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles;
Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Peter Cooney and Paul
Tait)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
