According to Lans-Anderson, her son was trying to defuse the situation and was acting innocently. A year later, she is still determined to learn the specifics of what transpired that evening and why the district attorney’s office has not brought any charges.
She stated in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I still don’t believe my son is gone, much less for a year with no answers, no accountability, and no transparency.” The inequity is so obvious.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
When South Fulton police arrived to the tavern on Old National Highway to look into the shooting, Potter, 30, was still there, according to the GBI.Potter refused to undergo a blood-alcohol test and was arrested on a misdemeanor obstruction charge after interacting with officers.
Regarding the matter, the district attorney’s office chose not to comment.
According to his mother, Devon Anderson was a budding rapper and fashionista who had a tendency to lend a hand to strangers. She has pleaded for charges against Potter at numerous Atlanta City Council and Fulton County Commission meetings in the year after his passing.
“Even though you don’t know those mothers, you cry for them when you see things like this on TV,” she said. I never would have thought that I would be one of them.
Anderson’s killing, according to proponents of police accountability, is part of a trend of Atlanta police personnel who are not held to high standards internally.
According to arrest records, Garrett Rolfe, who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020 amid national calls for police reform, was recently charged with one count of simple violence for his involvement in a Midtown bar fight. Rolfe has been placed on administrative leave after not being charged at first.
Devin Barrington-Ward of the National Police Accountability Project stated that these are not isolated events but rather serious warning signs that indicate a culture that prioritizes wrongdoing over public safety.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Since joining the Atlanta Police Department in 2015, Potter has a long history of disciplinary actions. He has been the focus of eight internal investigations for car accidents, his behavior in court, and breaching the law, according to documents the AJC was able to get.
According to records, Potter was arrested in Coweta County in 2021 on suspicion of driving under the influence, and the state Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) placed him on 36 months of administrative probation. The Anderson shooting occurred prior to the expiration of that probationary term.
During his six-month probation, Potter had to finish an alcohol education course. However, he failed to adhere to the approved standards and the probationary deadlines. According to his POST records, the officer is presently being investigated for a new case.
According to court records, Potter was found guilty of driving under the influence in April 2022.
Potter was charged with DUI after he was stopped for speeding in July 2021 by former Coweta County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Marich. Marich visually judged Potter’s speed to be over 100 mph, according to the incident report.
According to Marich’s report, “I identified myself and immediately detected the very strong odor of alcohol inside the vehicle.” Additionally, I observed a gun on the car’s passenger seat. He told me that he hadn’t had any alcohol.
Potter also gave him his APD ID when Marich requested a driver’s license. When requested to complete sobriety tests, Potter allegedly pointed to a revolver on his passenger seat and told the deputy, “We are on the same team.”
The same Coweta County officer, who is no longer employed by the agency, testified before the Atlanta City Council last month regarding Potter.
I wasn’t here today to cast blame. Regarding the deadly incident, he remarked, “I wasn’t there.” I’m only here to spread the word. It is possible to view what transpired in 2021 as a warning sign as well as a one-time error of judgment.
According to Marich, the uniform should never serve as a shield against repercussions.
Potter is currently employed by the department and works in the Central Records Unit, according to APD.
According to an APD representative, the internal inquiry is still ongoing.
[email protected] is credited.
[email protected] is credited.
According to longtime council member Michael Julian Bond, it is challenging to hear Valerie Lans-Anderson’s cries during meetings’ public comment period.
“It doesn’t make sense to me when we look at the circumstances in which he lost his life,” Bond told the AJC. The South Fulton Police Department’s response is what baffles me.
“It’s a clear crime,” he continued. From the standpoint of an outsider, this is an unnecessary death, and the consequences ought to have been more severe.
On Monday, the day before her son’s death anniversary, Lans-Anderson stood at the podium once more within the council chambers.
She remarked, “I don’t care who is sick of seeing me or hearing from me.” I will stop at nothing to defend my son.
Willis is expected to provide Lans-Anderson with an update on the case on Tuesday.
I want her to talk about accountability to me, I want her to address (Potter s) disciplinary record with me and I want to know how you could have an officer on the force with a history like that, she said. I require their responses.
Samantha Hogan, a staff reporter, helped with this story.
