She lost her son to an off-duty officer’s bullets. She still seeks justice.

Lans-Anderson says her son was “an innocent” who was attempting to de-escalate the situation. One year later, she is still pushing to find out exactly what happened that night and why no charges have been filed by the district attorney’s office.

“I still don’t believe my son is gone — much less for a year — with no answers, no accountability, no transparency,” she said in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The injustice is so blatant.”

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Potter, 30, was still at the scene when South Fulton police arrived at the bar on Old National Highway to investigate the shooting, the GBI said. After speaking with authorities, Potter was arrested on a misdemeanor obstruction charge for refusing to take a blood-alcohol test.

The district attorney’s office declined to comment on the case.

Devon Anderson was an up-and-coming rapper and fashion enthusiast with a proclivity to help strangers, his mother said. In the year following his death, she has spoken at dozens of Atlanta City Council and Fulton County Commission meetings, pleading for charges against Potter.

“You see stuff like this on TV, and you cry for those mothers even though you don’t know those mothers,” she said. “I would not believe in a million years I would be one of them.”

Advocates for police accountability say Anderson’s death is one in a pattern of Atlanta police officers who face little internal accountability.

Recently Garrett Rolfe, who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020 amid nationwide cries for police reform, was charged with one count of simple battery for his role in a bar fight in Midtown, according to arrest records. Rolfe, who was not initially charged, has been placed on administrative leave.

“These aren’t isolated incidents — they’re major red flags pointing to a culture that protects misconduct over the safety of the public,” said Devin Barrington-Ward with the National Police Accountability Project.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Potter has a lengthy disciplinary history since joining Atlanta’s police department in 2015. According to records obtained by the AJC, he’s been the subject of eight internal investigations for vehicle accidents, his conduct in court and breaking the law.

In 2021, Potter was placed on 36-months of administrative probation by the state Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) after being arrested in Coweta County on charges of driving under the influence, records show. The Anderson shooting took place before that probationary period was up.

Potter was required to complete an alcohol class within six months of his probation. But he “did not meet the probation deadlines and did not comply with requirements as sanctioned. Officer is currently under investigation for a new case,” his POST records show.

Potter was convicted of driving under the influence in April 2022, according to court documents.

Former Coweta County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Marich was the officer who pulled Potter over in July 2021 for speeding, which led to his DUI charge. The incident report says Marich “visually estimated (Potter’s speed) to be over 100 mph.”

“I identified myself and immediately detected the very strong odor of alcohol inside the vehicle,” Marich wrote in his report. “I also noted a firearm sitting on the passenger seat of the vehicle. He advised me that he had not had anything to drink.”

When Marich asked for a driver’s license, Potter also handed him his APD identification. Potter reportedly told the deputy “we are on the same team” while pointing to a gun on his passenger seat when he was asked to complete sobriety tests.

Last month, the same Coweta County officer, who is no longer with the department, gave testimony about Potter to the Atlanta City Council.

“I didn’t come here today to point fingers. I wasn’t there,” he said of the fatal shooting. “I just came here to raise awareness. What happened in 2021 could be seen as a one-time lapse of judgment, but it can also be seen as a warning sign.”

“The uniform should never be a shield from consequences,” Marich said.

According to APD, Potter is an “active employee” with the department working in the Central Records Unit.

“The internal investigation remains open,” a spokesperson for APD said.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Longtime council member Michael Julian Bond said listening to Valerie Lans-Anderson’s pleas during the public comment portion of meetings is difficult.

“When we look at the circumstances in which he lost his life, it doesn’t make sense to me,” Bond told the AJC. “What I don’t understand is the response of the South Fulton Police Department.

“It’s an obvious crime,” he added. “From an outsider perspective, this is an unjustified death and there should have been greater ramifications for it.”

Lans-Anderson took to the podium inside council chambers again Monday, the day before the anniversary of her son’s death.

“I don’t care of whose tired of seeing me or hearing from me,” she said. “I will fight for my son until I drop.”

Lans-Anderson is scheduled to receive an update on the case from Willis 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 need those answers.”

— Staff reporter Samantha Hogan contributed to this report.