Ga. mom spends Mother’s Day seeking justice for son killed by off-duty officer
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Georgia mother spent Mother’s Day fighting for justice and demanding ability with friends and family.
According to WRDW’s sister station in Atlanta, Devon Anderson was shot and killed by Melvin Potter, an off-duty Atlanta police officer, last August.
“My heart is broken, my heart will forever be broken,” said Valerie Lans-Anderson, Devon’s mother.
It is the first Mother’s Day for Lans-Anderson without her youngest son. This Mother’s Day also fell on what would have been Devon’s 39th birthday.
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“I didn’t get that kiss today. I didn’t get it today, and I’ll never get it again,” Lans-Anderson said.
The incident happened after an argument with Potter and another group of people outside a bar in College Park on the 5000 block of Old National Highway.
“You didn’t just destroy (Anderson), you destroy the whole family, you destroy a whole community,” Lans-Anderson said.
South Fulton police arrested Potter with obstruction for the shooting. However, records show troubles started before that.
Potter has been an active Atlanta police officer since January 2015, according to his Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council profile.
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His POST report also says Potter was placed on 36-month probation on November 9, 2021.
Potter was arrested and charged with DUI and failing to maintain his lane during a September 2021 incident, according to his POST report.
Potter was driving roughly 100 mph, and the officer reported they smelled alcohol in his car. Potter denied a field sobriety test, according to the report.
According to an Atlanta Police Department official, Potter remains a member of the Atlanta Police Department through the investigation.
However, the representative said Potter had been relieved of his duty after the shooting and remains in a non-enforcement status.
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“For [Potter] to not be arrested is like a slap in the face,” said Janet Liburd, Devon’s aunt.
“Why do we have to go through this, why is he still working? We don’t understand why he is still working. He was on probation, he killed him for no apparent reason,” Liburd added.
The family has the sympathy of some council. Valerie said she has shown up to city council meetings weekly since her son’s death.
At the meetings, she said she continues to demand that the city fire Potter while pushing the district attorney to file charges against him.
“We want to make sure justice is done in every single instance. The family and victims deserve that,” said Atlanta councilmember Michael J. Bond.
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