Grieving Atlanta Mom Demands Justice on Mother's Day for Son Slain by Off-Duty Cop with Checkered Past

Valerie Anderson was surrounded by grief and a fervent call for justice. Her son, Devon Anderson, was fatally shot last August by an off-duty officer from the Atlanta Police Department (APD). The mother spent her Mother’s Day, which coincided with what would have been Devon's 39th birthday, honoring his life and seeking accountability for his untimely death. "My son didn't have a chance to have kids. My son didn't get a chance to get married. And those are the things that he wanted to do," Anderson said in an interview obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta.

According to reports, the tragic incident unfolded following an altercation between Devon Anderson and the off-duty officer, Melvin Potter, outside a South Fulton bar. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation stated that Potter shot and killed Anderson in the establishment’s parking lot. While the South Fulton Police Department charged Potter with obstruction, many, including Anderson, have been vocal about their discontent that Potter has not been charged in connection with Devon's death and that he remains employed by APD, despite his troubling record. Potter's past includes a DUI arrest in Coweta County in 2021, where he was going the speed roughly 100 mph and refused a field sobriety test, as reported by WRDW.

As Mother's Day was commemorated, Anderson, alongside a community of supporters, held a memorial and birthday celebration for Devon, using the occasion to amplify her plea for transparency from the APD and legal consequences for Officer Potter. Echoing her sentiment, Atlanta Councilmember Michael J. Bond expressed, "We want to make sure justice is done in every single instance. The family and victims deserve that,” as he told WRDW. Anderson is seeking a meeting with District Attorney Fani Willis to discuss possible charges and continues to present her case to the Atlanta City Council on a weekly basis, as confirmed to FOX 5 Atlanta.

Potter's continued employment, despite having been relieved of duty and assigned a non-enforcement status, is a sore point for the family. A detail that has not gone unnoticed is Potter's past record, which includes being placed on probation by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council after his DUI incident. The POST report indicates Potter was also charged with failing to maintain his lane during that September 2021 event. Janet Liburd, Devon’s aunt, conveyed the family's anguish and frustration: "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," as speculated by WRDW.

Despite the pain and obstacles, Anderson's resolve remains unshaken. "If the plan is to wear me down, Mother is not going anywhere," she asserted, per FOX 5 Atlanta.