The scene at Buchanan Road and Barcelona Circle was cleared early Saturday evening, nearly 19 hours after the shooting took place. Residents in the Antioch neighborhood are still reeling from shooting death of their neighbor, 21-year-old Charles Burns, by Concord police.
We still have not received information from Concord police as to why Charles was wanted and whether he was armed. What we do know is the man's father is furious and wants answers.
John Burns' emotions have been alternating between grief and anger since learning that his son was shot to death by Concord police.
"And I want explanations why my dear 21-year-old son got killed for one day before his birthday," John said.
Charles was supposed to turn 22 on Mother's Day. But now his parents are mourning his loss. Friends and family have been coming to the Burns' Bay Point home on Virginia Drive to share their grief since Friday night's shooting.
According to some witnesses and the family, Charles was shot multiple times by at least three Concord police officers. He died in the middle of Buchanan Road and Barcelona Circle in Antioch.
According to one police source, Concord officers were attempting to serve a warrant on Charles and had been following him to his home on Barcelona Circle. Amanda, a neighbor, did not want to be seen on camera.
"They blocked him in on the other side," Amanda said. "One guy got arrested. He tried to run out of the car and they shot him."
Witnesses say Charles was a passenger in a dark green pickup truck. Almost two dozen yellow evidence markers litter Buchanan Road. Many mark where shell casings fell from officers' guns. A yellow tarp marks where Charles Burns died.
Shontel Grady lives right across the street from the shooting with her husband and three children. She says the sounds of gunshots close by at about 9 p.m. terrified them.
"Pow, pow, bang, bang, boom, boom, boom, it was non-stop, non-stop," she said. "And we didn't get up until it stopped."
One of those shots when through an apartment window. Virginia, who lives there, sent photos of the bullet's passage into her living room. Luckily no one was home.
Neighbors who knew Charles say he was a helpful neighbor.
"He was a nice guy," Amanda said. "That's why it hurts me to know that we lost him."
The loss of Charles has made his father angry enough to seek legal help.
"I'm gonna put a stop to it," John said. "Because I'm gonna fight all the way to the end, til these cops get locked up."
The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office is investigating the shooting, as well as the Concord Police Department, even though it happened in Antioch.
We have not heard from either department as to whether Charles was wanted on a special warrant or if, in fact, he was armed.
