Father of 4 shot to death in DeKalb motel room in front of girlfriend

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that a father of four was shot and killed at a DeKalb motel early Wednesday morning.

Police said Latonian Burch, 39, and his girlfriend were staying at the America's Best Value Inn on Candler Road when someone knocked at the door around 1 a.m.

A witness told Channel 2's Audrey Washington that Burch was set up.

“You caused a lot of pain in a lot of people’s lives right now,” Burch’s girlfriend, Jacandra Jenkins, said. “You took a man from four kids.”

Washington spoke with family members on Wednesday. Jenkins referred to Burch as her husband.

She said overnight, a woman who hangs around the area knocked on her motel door. Then, according to Jenkins, a man rushed up behind the woman and forced his way inside.

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“They got to tangling right there by the AC, then the next thing you know, I started hearing shots. You shot my husband five times. You didn’t have to kill him, he would have gave it to you, whatever you were looking for,” Jenkins said.

Burch died. The shooter and the other woman took off.

Burch’s daughter, Brandy McClendon, said she’s devastated and wants answers.

“I just want to know who killed my dad,” McClendon told Washington.

“Right now, we don’t believe the suspect knew the victim,” said Shiera Campbell with the DeKalb County Police Department.

DeKalb County police say they’re speaking with witnesses and going through any video on a motel surveillance camera.

“We’re looking for anything, whether it’s facial recognition, the car the suspect may have left in,” Campbell said.

McClendon and Jenkins said they’ll do whatever they can to help police find the people responsible.

“There’s no way you can hide,” Jenkins said.

“I just want who killed my dad to come forward because you left. You didn’t think about the fact that he had four kids,” McClendon said.

Cox Media Group