1 year after shooting, mother of man killed by APD cop still seeks justice
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Valerie Anderson speaks to Atlanta City Council members on Monday. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios
Tuesday marks one year since an off-duty Atlanta police officer shot and killed Devon Anderson outside a bar in South Fulton.
Why it matters: Since Anderson's death, his mother, Valerie, has repeatedly called for the Atlanta Police Department to fire Melvin Potter, the officer who pulled the trigger.
- "My son was a human being, and he [Potter] should not get a pass on all the wrong he has done," Valerie Anderson told Axios on Monday.
The latest: Anderson and other residents and activists continued their push for Potter to be fired from the force at a City Council meeting Monday.
- Atlanta police previously said that Potter, who was hired in 2015, was relieved of duty after the shooting and that his department-issued weapon, badge and ID were returned to the agency.
- He remains an active employee assigned to the agency's Central Records Unit, an APD spokesperson told Axios on Monday.
What they're saying: Valerie Anderson told Axios she has a meeting Tuesday with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, which took over the case file — completed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation — in January.
Catch up quick: The South Fulton Police Department requested that the GBI investigate the shooting, which was reported at around 1am on Aug. 5, 2024, at a bar in the 5000 block of Old National Highway.
- Potter was leaving the bar when he got into an argument with a group that included 38-year-old Devon Anderson, the GBI said in a news release.
- WSB last year reported that Devon Anderson, who was attending a birthday celebration of a friend who was a South Fulton police officer, was fatally shot by Potter while he was trying to de-escalate the confrontation.
- The GBI said Potter was charged with obstruction by South Fulton police for refusing a blood draw but has not been charged with anything else.
- Axios couldn't find the attorney listed as representing Potter in court records, and was unable to find a working phone number.
The intrigue: Last year's shooting wasn't Potter's first encounter with law enforcement while off duty.
- In 2021, he was arrested for driving under the influence after a Coweta County sheriff's deputy pulled him over on Interstate 85, according to 11 Alive.
- Josh Marich, the now-former deputy who arrested Potter, told Atlanta council members at their July 7 meeting that after he pulled Potter over, Potter pointed to his department-issued weapon and sweatshirt and told him "we're on the same team."
- "He tried to use his position as a law enforcement officer for Atlanta police to avoid accountability for his actions that night," Marich said.
- Potter was sentenced to probation in 2022 and was prohibited from drinking alcohol for three years, the former deputy added.
What we're watching: The DA's office will determine if Potter will be charged with any additional crimes.