A home invasion in Brookhaven on Thursday night led to a pursuit that ended in a crash and an allegedly armed suspect being shot by police, according to the GBI.
The situation started around 11 p.m. when Brookhaven police were called about an active burglary at a home in the 2700 block of Caldwell Road. A woman saw four armed suspects inside her house on her surveillance camera, the GBI said.
After calling police, the homeowner called a friend, who went to the house and confronted the suspects, the GBI confirmed. A shootout took place between the suspects and the homeowner’s friend just before police arrived.
Officers saw the suspects speed away in a silver Lexus, authorities said. Police unsuccessfully tried to pull it over and a pursuit ensued.
The suspects eventually crashed into a utility pole nearly three miles away near a CarMax dealership on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Chamblee, officials said. All four suspects got out of the car and started to run away, according to the GBI. The driver, identified as Albert Eugene Burns, 19, of Snellville, exited the vehicle with a gun in his hand, the GBI said.
That prompted an officer to open fire, striking Burns, authorities confirmed. Burns then dropped the gun, the GBI said, and continued running. As he ran, he dropped a second gun and tried to pick it up, which is when the officer shot him again, the GBI said.
Burns was taken to a hospital and described as critical but stable, Brookhaven police said. No officers were injured.
Andrew Fisher, who lives near the burglarized home, said he heard “a bunch of gunshots” and saw a car fleeing.
“Of course, you think it’s fireworks at first, but I mean, it was sporadic, and you could tell it’s a little bit different,” he said. “We were on alert, but ... we called the police, and they knew that something was happening.”
Another neighbor, Tony Mora, said he didn’t hear the commotion Thursday night but woke up to the police activity Friday morning, something that he said is unusual for the area.
“That’s why I moved here because it’s quiet,” he said. “I never thought that would happen here. I mean, it’s too much.”
It’s made Mora realize he needs “to be more cautious and just kind of always be on guard,” he added. “That’s what we’ve become. I mean, you’ve got to be always watching.”
The GBI said two other suspects — Davion Harper, 22, and Tyson Kamari Kirksey, 18, both of Conyers — were arrested with the help of the Chamblee, Doraville and Dunwoody police departments and taken to the DeKalb County jail, where they were each booked on a charge of first-degree burglary, according to online records.
A fourth suspect remains at large.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once complete, the case file will be given to the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office for review.
The incident is the 53rd officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year. As of the same time last year, there had been 64 such cases.
Anyone with information about the fourth suspect’s location is asked to contact police. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
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