A ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP TURNED DEADLY — WHAT HAPPENED NEXT CHANGED EVERYTHING

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Traffic stop

Late on the evening of June 15, 2021, what appeared to be a routine traffic stop in Holly Springs, Georgia, quickly turned into a deadly confrontation.

Sergeant Andrew Drake had pulled over a vehicle traveling 72 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone.

Officer Joe Burson arrived to provide backup.

Neither officer could have known that within minutes, the traffic stop would end with both Burson and the driver dead.

1. IT STARTED WITH A SPEEDING VIOLATION

The stop happened along Hickory Road.

The driver was identified as 29-year-old Ansy Dolce.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation report later released to 11Alive, Dolce told officers that he did not have his driver's license with him.

He then reportedly provided his brother's name and date of birth.

Sergeant Drake returned to his patrol car to check the information.

Meanwhile, Burson remained with Dolce.

Joe Burson was just 25 years old.

At this point, however, the encounter was still a traffic stop.

Then officers noticed something else.

2. THE CONVERSATION STARTED TO GET MORE SERIOUS

During the stop, Dolce asked whether he could call his mother or an attorney.

Burson told him that he could not make a call at that time.

The conversation continued.

According to the GBI report, Drake detected a strong odor he suspected was marijuana coming from the vehicle.

That changed the nature of the encounter.

Burson asked Dolce directly:

“IS THERE POT IN THERE?”

According to investigators, Dolce nodded.

Then Burson asked how much.

Dolce responded:

“I'LL SHOW YOU.”

3. THEN HE STARTED WALKING BACK TO THE CAR

Dolce began moving toward his vehicle.

Burson stepped in front of him.

Sergeant Drake then approached and attempted to place Dolce in handcuffs.

But Dolce pulled away.

And suddenly, the traffic stop became a struggle.

THE DRIVER WAS NO LONGER COOPERATING.

The body-camera footage captured the officers trying to control the situation as Dolce moved back toward the vehicle.

Then he got inside.

4. THE VEHICLE STARTED MOVING

According to the GBI report, officers deployed Tasers as they struggled with Dolce.

But they were unable to stop the vehicle.

Dolce drove away with Burson still caught in the struggle.

The radio traffic became frantic.

Drake was heard yelling:

“HE'S GOT BURSON IN THE CAR!”

The situation had now escalated far beyond a speeding stop.

And then came the words that would define the incident:

“SHOTS FIRED! SHOTS FIRED!”

5. THE VEHICLE CRASHED

The GBI report says Dolce drove approximately 1,000 feet before hitting a guardrail and crashing into a ditch.

During the incident, Burson fired multiple shots at Dolce.

But the officer himself had suffered extensive injuries.

Burson was taken to a hospital, although investigators said he most likely died at the crash scene.

Dolce was transported to another hospital.

He later died from his injuries.

TWO PEOPLE WERE DEAD.

And the investigation was only beginning.

6. THE GBI BEGAN A 251-PAGE INVESTIGATION

Because the incident involved an officer firing his weapon and two deaths, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted an extensive investigation.

The GBI eventually provided 11Alive with a 251-page investigation summary, along with body-camera and dash-camera footage.

Investigators reconstructed the events leading up to the shooting.

They examined the traffic stop.

The conversation.

The suspected marijuana.

The attempt to handcuff Dolce.

The struggle.

The vehicle leaving the scene.

And the gunfire.

7. THE CASE WAS THEN SENT TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Once the GBI completed its investigation, the files were sent to Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace.

The central question was straightforward:

WAS OFFICER BURSON'S USE OF DEADLY FORCE LEGALLY JUSTIFIED?

After reviewing the case, the district attorney concluded that there was no evidence of criminal conduct by Burson.

She determined that the shooting of Dolce was justified under Georgia law.

She also stated that if Dolce had survived, prosecutors would have pursued murder and other charges against him.

That decision officially closed the investigation into Burson's actions.

8. BUT HOLLY SPRINGS STILL HAD TO DEAL WITH THE LOSS

The legal investigation answered one question.

It could not answer another:

HOW DOES A COMMUNITY MOVE ON AFTER LOSING ONE OF ITS OWN?

Joe Burson's death deeply affected the Holly Springs Police Department and the surrounding community.

Residents gathered to pay tribute to the young officer.

Flowers and other memorials appeared in his honor.

The images from those gatherings show the human side of the case.

Behind the investigation was a young officer whose life had ended during a traffic stop.

9. HUNDREDS GATHERED TO REMEMBER HIM

A vigil was held in Burson's memory.

Hundreds of people gathered as members of the community and law enforcement came together to honor the fallen officer.

The scene was a sharp contrast to the chaos of the night he died.

There were no flashing lights.

No struggle.

No radio calls.

Just a community mourning a young man who would never return home.

10. A TRAFFIC STOP THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

The entire sequence is difficult to forget.

A speeding violation.

A routine conversation.

A suspected marijuana odor.

A question about the vehicle.

An attempt to place the driver in handcuffs.

A sudden attempt to escape.

A struggle.

A moving vehicle.

Then:

“SHOTS FIRED.”

The vehicle crashed.

Officer Joe Burson was dead.

Ansy Dolce was also dead.

And after a lengthy investigation, the Cherokee County District Attorney determined that Burson's use of deadly force was legally justified.

The case ultimately became more than a story about a traffic stop.

It became a story about how quickly a seemingly ordinary police encounter can escalate — and how one night can permanently change the lives of everyone involved.