Asia Burns

Atlanta

Breaking News Reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Breaking news @ajc. Lover of cheesecake and coffee. Saints fan trapped in Falcon territory ⚜️

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Articles

Atlanta City Council urges state patrol to curb high-speed chases

1 month ago | ajc.com | Asia Burns

The Atlanta City Council on Monday took its most forceful steps yet to try to curb high-speed pursuits involving the Georgia State Patrol, weeks after a chase led to a crash that killed a 19-year-old bystander in Little Five Points. The council unanimously approved a resolution urging the state to amend GSP’s pursuit policy to restrict chases to specific cases.
Atlanta bystander’s death spurs debate on Georgia State Patrol chase policy

2 months ago | ajc.com | Michelle Baruchman |Asia Burns

A Georgia State Patrol chase that ended in a crash that killed a 19-year-old bystander in Atlanta last week thrust the state’s top police agency into the middle of a public debate about whether its aggressive tactics were causing unnecessary harm to Georgians. Opinions on the appropriateness of the pursuit that killed Cooper Schoenke, and of police chases in general, divided along party lines.
Atlanta advocates seek ‘immediate’ reforms after bystander killed in GSP chase

2 months ago | ajc.com | Asia Burns |David Aaro

A 19-year-old bystander was killed when the car he was driving crossed paths with a Georgia State Patrol pursuit that tore through a busy Atlanta intersection Monday evening. Now, lawmakers and advocates are demanding changes to the state policy that allowed the chase to happen.
Eight ways a reckless pursuit culture endangers the public

Mar 2, 2025 | ajc.com | Asia Burns |Justin Price

A teenager and a 3-month-old die after their car is hit by a fleeing driver in Midtown. A South Georgia woman is crushed to death in her front yard by a fleeing car that a Georgia state trooper forced off the road. A 12-year-old boy is killed in Paulding County after a trooper intentionally rammed the rear side of the car in which he was a passenger, causing it to flip. These are some of the tragedies that resulted from Georgia State Patrol pursuits.
Bystanders injured in Georgia State Patrol pursuits have few legal protections

Feb 28, 2025 | ajc.com | Asia Burns |Justin Price

Shackelford, who was 58 at the time, was taken to a trauma center in Macon, where doctors determined he had suffered a fractured sternum, four broken ribs and a bruised lung. His foot was broken in several places. He remained in the hospital for eight days, and upon returning home, slept in a hospital bed for weeks. He still vividly recallscertain details from the crash, such as coughing from the air bag smoke that filled his truck’s cabin. “I guess things you don’t never forget,” he said.
Six takeaways from the AJC’s Georgia State Patrol pursuit investigation

Aug 1, 2024 | ajc.com | Asia Burns |Justin Price

The Georgia State Patrol engages in many dangerous pursuits on Georgia’s roadwaysA GSP trooper is involved in a pursuit almost every day of the year. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified and analyzed 6,700 pursuits over five years. Our analysis found that 3,400 pursuits resulted in crashes that, collectively, left at least 1,900 people injured and 63 people dead. Many chases occurred on heavily traveled interstates or roadways in metro Atlanta.
How GSP pursuits make Georgia’s roads less safe

Aug 1, 2024 | ajc.com | Asia Burns |Justin Price

“Next thing you know, bam!” Cain told the AJC, recalling that night in September 2020. The BMW struck their car with such force that Cain’s boyfriend and his niece were ejected. Debris sits on 10th Street NW near the Georgia Tech McCamish Pavilion several hours after the fatal crash that involved a speeding driver fleeing from a Georgia state trooper on Sept. 30, 2020. (John Spink/AJC 2020 photo)After the crash, Cain saw her teenage sister and the 3-month-old motionless in the back seat.
MLK Day service urges cultural change through nonviolence

Jan 15, 2024 | ajc.com | Asia Burns

On what would have been the Rev. Martin Luther King’s 95th birthday, and on the 39th observance of the national holiday named for him, organizations and establishments in every part of the metro Atlanta area gathered to memorialize the legacy of the iconic civil rights leader. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated with volunteer opportunities, marches, parades and moments of fellowship.
Former Lawrenceville PD captain accused of harassment files discrimination lawsuit

Jan 9, 2024 | morgancountycitizen.com | Asia Burns

This story comes from our partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more on the news and events in metro-Atlanta and Georgia, visit AJC.com. When the highest-ranking female officer at the Lawrenceville police department accused Capt. Christopher Ryan Morgan of sexual harassment, he quietly submitted a resignation letter and left the agency in December 2021.
Former Lawrenceville PD captain accused of harassment files discrimination lawsuit

Jan 7, 2024 | ajc.com | Asia Burns

When the highest-ranking female officer at the Lawrenceville police department accused Capt. Christopher Ryan Morgan of sexual harassment, he quietly submitted a resignation letter and left the agency in December 2021. Now, Morgan has filed a lawsuit claiming he was wrongly targeted and victimized by city leaders pushing a diversity agenda that discriminated against him and other white males in the police department.