The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has released the identity of the 24-year-old deputy who was found shot to death Thursday morning in his wrecked car in the middle of a northwest Atlanta road.
James Thomas, originally from Mississippi, was assigned to the detention unit at Grady Memorial Hospital and had been with the sheriff’s office for less than a year. He was recruited from the Milledgeville Police Department, according to Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat.
“He was an outstanding young man,” Labat said during a Thursday afternoon news conference outside the jail. “We personally recruited him from another police department down south, specifically because of the energy and his love for what he brought to our agency. Our hearts and prayers go out to him and his family.”
Thomas also briefly worked for the MARTA Police Department, according to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Officers discovered Thomas’ body about 4:30 a.m. after responding to a 911 call about a person shot in the 1900 block of Bolton Road, Atlanta police Maj. Pete Malecki said. The deputy was found in the driver’s seat, dead from an apparent gunshot wound, authorities said.
His gray Ford Fusion had been in a wreck, but authorities are still working to determine whether the crash occurred before or after the shooting.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
On Thursday afternoon, Malecki said the driver of a van contacted police to report striking Thomas’ car hours earlier.
“We did have a second individual come forward and say that they were involved in an accident with that vehicle,” Malecki said. “They’ve been cooperative. At this point, we do not believe they were directly involved in the shooting.”
Police said the driver of that van saw Thomas “driving erratically” in the middle of Bolton Road.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
“When they went to pass that vehicle is when they believe they heard gunfire,” Malecki said, noting the two vehicles collided. “Right now, we do not know if the shooter was a pedestrian on foot or if he was perhaps in another vehicle.”
Labat said the deputy had been at work Wednesday night, but that investigators are still trying to figure out what happened between the time his shift ended and the time he was found dead.
Bolton Road was blocked with crime scene tape between I-285 and James Jackson Parkway for much of the morning as investigators canvassed the area for evidence. Labat also came to the scene early Thursday.
The sheriff called the deadly shooting a “heinous crime,” and said a reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. On Friday, that reward was increased to $30,000.
According to Labat, Thomas was popular among his colleagues despite his short tenure.
“He was the life of the party. He was just a very, very good spirit. It didn’t matter what the situation was,” Labat said. “He was what you would want in a deputy.”
The Fulton deputy was the second metro Atlanta law enforcement officer shot to death in less than three weeks. Both were off duty when they were killed.
On Dec. 13, a correctional officer was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Gwinnett County Comprehensive Correctional Complex as he arrived 40 minutes early for his 7 a.m. shift. Scott Riner was 59.
Three days later, Gwinnett police announced that 22-year-old Yahya Abdulkadir of Dacula was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in Riner’s death. No details on a possible motive were released.
Anyone with information about the shooting death of the Fulton deputy is urged to contact Atlanta police. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and still be eligible for the cash reward, by calling Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
— Photographer Ben Hendren contributed to this article.
