Stone Mountain man's death under investigation after DeKalb officer uses Taser
Authorities are investigating a use-of-force incident that ended in the death of a 20-year-old Stone Mountain man Sunday morning. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate the encounter.
Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, DeKalb County police responded to a report of an armed carjacking near Lancashire Circle and spotted a car matching the description.
When an officer approached the car, Vermontay Burch, 20, jumped out and ran away, according to the department. An officer chased Burch into an apartment complex near Eagle Springs Way and used a Taser on him, police said.
Immediately after deploying the Taser, the officer heard a gunshot and found Burch on the ground with what police described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Despite receiving medical assistance, Burch was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office, where an autopsy will be conducted.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once it is complete, the case file will be turned over to the DeKalb Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for review.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the GBI's Atlanta Regional Investigative Office.
