In a significant development reported by Stocktonia, the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office has announced that no charges will be brought against the officers involved in the shooting death of 39-year-old Antwaune Burrise in Stockton in July 2020. This decision comes after four years of scrutiny following an incident where police were attempting to serve Burrise an arrest warrant at an apartment complex.
Burrise was a wanted individual, linked to the 2020 murder of Renard Thomas, who was found deceased from multiple gunshot wounds in his vehicle. The confrontation escalated in the 5200 block of Cosumnes Drive when Burrise, reportedly, used his vehicle to ram a patrol car blocking him. Despite being deemed non-compliant for staying inside his vehicle, the situation took a fatal turn when Burrise allegedly drove his vehicle towards an undercover officer, leading to three officers firing their weapons.
Efforts to save Burrise, including the use of bean bag rounds to break the car windows for an emergency extraction, were futile, as he later died from his injuries at the hospital. The discovery of a loaded semi-automatic .40 caliber handgun and a .223 caliber semi-automatic AR-15 rifle inside his vehicle was cited as evidence of Burrise being armed and dangerous.
The aftermath of the shooting has been a period of prolonged grief and frustration for Burrise's family. His mother, Stephanie Hatten, has been vocal in her assertion that her son was wrongfully killed, particularly emphasizing his battle with partial paraplegia and limited mobility—a condition she claims was known to the police. "He couldn’t run," she lamented, shedding light on her son's physical limitations.
Burrise's widow echoed the sentiment that legal accountability, rather than a fatal shooting, should have determined her husband's fate, especially considering his recent release from prison and status under community supervision and federal probation at the time of his death.
The San Joaquin County DA's office, respecting all parties involved, has opted not to comment further on the case, marking an end to a contentious chapter that has left indelible marks on the community and Burrise's family.
This story originally covered by Stocktonia.
