Former Atlanta police officer who shot unarmed black man, 22, turns himself in and is charged with felony murder

A white former Atlanta cop charged with murder over the shooting of a 22-year-old unarmed black man has turned himself in.

James R Burns was arrested on Saturday on charges including felony murder in the June 22 shooting of Devaris Caine Rogers. 

The incident occurred when Burns, who had been called out to help an off-duty officer catch a suspected car thief, first blocked, then opened fire on a car being driven by Rogers.

Burns claimed he was scared the car was going to hit him, but a report released earlier this week said Burns put himself in harm's way and fired at Rogers without knowing if he was even the suspect they were looking for, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Shooting: Atlanta Officer James R Burns (left) shot and killed Deravis Caine Rogers (right), 22, on June 22. An investigation concluded Rogers 'posed no immediate threat' to Burns prior to the shooting 

Crash: Burns fired on Rogers' silver sedan (pictured) without knowing who was in it, much less if Rogers was the suspect Burns was pursuing, investigators said. It also said Burns deliberately got in the way of the car

Worse, it was later concluded that there hadn't even been any car break-ins in the area that night. 

Atlanta Police Department (APD) fired Burns on July 1, with police chief George N Turner telling the officer that the shooting was an unnecessary and excessive use of force.

'As the vehicle approached you, you were in your vehicle,' said a memo written by Turner. 

'The driver of the vehicle posed no immediate threat to you... You did not have probable cause that the driver posed a threat of serious physical harm either to yourself or others.'

Burns had been called to the Monroe Place Apartments on Monroe Drive in northeast Atlanta at around midnight on June 22 to help an off-duty cop who believed a man seen near vehicles might be a car thief.

An investigation later concluded that there was no evidence car break-ins - or any illegal activity - had occurred that night before the officers arrived on the scene.

The suspect had fled the first officer on foot, the Internal Affairs report said. There is no evidence that this was the same person as Rogers.