A DeKalb County jury has convicted 35-year-old Jonathan Thomas of malice murder for shooting an acquaintance who had moved to metro Atlanta from Buffalo to death inside a Brookhaven tattoo shop, and a judge has sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 15 additional years. The killing of 33-year-old Percy Scott happened on March 21, 2024, inside Ink N Flesh Tattoo, a shop tucked into a commercial strip along the busy corridor at 4400 Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
The sentence was handed down after jurors found Thomas guilty on all counts, including two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and firearm possession charges, according to the FOX 5 Atlanta report on the sentencing. The case was prosecuted by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, per the office's announcement carried by PublicNow. That office noted the shop owner knew Scott by the nickname “Peanut” and knew Thomas as “T,” underscoring how tightly connected the three men were before the violence erupted.
A Fight That Turned Deadly in Seconds
All three men — Scott, Thomas, and the shop owner — had relocated separately to metro Atlanta from Buffalo, New York, and were acquaintances from those earlier days. Interior surveillance video reviewed by investigators showed Thomas struck Scott first, initiating the physical confrontation before shooting him multiple times, the same PublicNow account of the district attorney's statement detailed. The shop owner tried to separate the two men before the gunfire began, then fled outside toward a neighboring convenience store to call 911 after hearing the shots.
When Brookhaven Police officers arrived around 10:20 p.m., they found Scott lying face down just inside the shop's front doorway, showing no signs of life, the district attorney's office said. Surveillance cameras also captured a red Hyundai leaving the shop moments after the shooting, and the shop owner later identified Thomas as the shooter from a photo lineup.
License Plate Cameras Led Police to Sandy Springs
Brookhaven Police used Flock Safety automated license plate reader technology to identify Thomas as the registered owner of the red Hyundai and trace the vehicle across city lines. Brookhaven has been among the first Georgia municipalities to adopt the ALPR system, according to Flock Safety.
Brookhaven and Sandy Springs police tracked the car to The Preserve at Dunwoody apartment complex at 8600 Roberts Drive in Sandy Springs, where officers set up a perimeter and took Thomas into custody as he walked toward the vehicle, Rough Draft Atlanta reported at the time. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation later assisted Brookhaven detectives in analyzing the surveillance footage that helped build the case against him.
The Question That Remains Unanswered
Despite the detailed surveillance footage laying out exactly how the confrontation unfolded, authorities have never publicly disclosed what verbal disagreement first sparked the argument between Thomas and Scott inside the shop that night. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that authorities had not disclosed what prompted the argument.
The March 2024 shooting was not an isolated incident. At least nine separate shootings left five people dead and seven injured, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
What Thomas's Sentence Actually Means
The Southern Center for Human Rights parole handbook, hosted on a Georgia government website, addresses parole eligibility. The sentence includes an additional 15 years. Thomas was 35 when he was sentenced.
The case fell under the purview of DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston's office.
