A former Atlanta cop charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man walked out of jail Friday morning, the sheriff’s office said.
James R. Burns was released from the Fulton County Jail just after 4:35 a.m. on a $240,000 bond, sheriff's office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said.
He was initially booked Saturday when he surrendered on charges of murder, aggravated assault and violation of his oath of office in the shooting death of 22-year-old Deravis Caine Rogers.
Rogers was shot in his car as he drove away from the officer in northeast Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Burns was fired July 1 and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 1.
Amid videotaped shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, Rogers’ death attracted the attention of Atlanta activists and social media users who have told The AJC they are watching how police handle the case.
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