A security guard involved in a deadly fight at an apartment complex just off Georgia State’s campus will not face charges, authorities said.
The guard, who AJC.com is not identifying, knocked out 24-year-old Deionte “JR” Davis during an altercation at One12 Courtland, which ended up leading to Davis’ death last month, AJC.com previously reported. The death was ruled a homicide by investigators.
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Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos released a statement Monday that said investigators attempted to obtain an arrest warrant against the security guard for involuntary manslaughter, but a Fulton County Magistrate judge declined to issue the warrant.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office also “declined to pursue criminal charges” against the security guard, Campos said. DA spokesman Chris Hopper told AJC.com that an assistant district attorney spoke to police over the weekend and advised that they didn’t have enough evidence for a judge to issue the warrant.
In addition, he said “in no way did we decline to pursue charges” and that his office would conduct its own investigation if charges were to be filed before deciding whether to prosecute.
“As a result, investigators are working to close the case with no charges being filed,” the statement concluded.
A few days after the deadly incident, the security guard defended his actions to Channel 2 Action News, adding that he remained employed by Metro Security.
“The evidence that the police currently have showed me working in a professional manner,” he told Channel 2 over the phone.
MORE: Security guard says he acted in 'professional manner' during fight that killed man
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that Davis died due to “compression of the chest.”
The security guard’s 911 call, which was previously obtained by AJC.com, details the incident that took place about 6:30 a.m. at the apartment complex marketed to GSU students.
The 911 call is embedded in its entirety below.
Ronald Myers, a GSU student, previously told Channel 2 that he and Davis were among a group of four friends who had been drinking at a birthday party earlier that morning. They were returning to Myers’ apartment on the seventh floor when the fight broke out.
The security guard told the 911 operator that Davis “was trying to fight a bunch of people, so we slowly got him into the elevator, and then (we) slowly got him toward the room. And then, he decided to fight, and he hit me in the face, hit all of his friends in the face and I put him onto the ground, and I think I knocked him unconscious.”
Myers said the group was only bickering and called it a “minor argument among friends.”
He said the security guard attacked Davis as he walked off the elevator, tackling him and snapping his neck. The autopsy did not reveal any neck injuries.
Myers said his girlfriend took video of the end of the incident, which appears to show the security guard hold Davis down while another one of their friends tries to lift him.
Many of you have reached out about the Snapchat video we used in our 11 pm story. The six second clip shows the security guard grabbing Deionte’s legs while one of his friends is trying to get him to calm down. What we don’t see on video is now at the center of the investigation. pic.twitter.com/S5QrDZ9Sv3
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) October 29, 2019
While the group was waiting for paramedics to arrive, the security guard is heard on the 911 call telling them to “back up,” pleading for them to “not touch his head ... he is unconscious and breathing.”
ALSO: Cops: Man dies after fight with security in apartment near GSU campus
During the confusion, the security guard reiterated his version of events, saying, “I’m the person who knocked him out, ma’am. He was fighting people in the lobby and he was hurting me and I hit him, and he’s unconscious now.”
Near the end of the call, another person begins to speak to the 911 operator, saying that Davis was bleeding from his mouth.
The security guard and Myers tried to perform CPR until Davis was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died. Investigators said Davis and his friends had been drinking heavily.
The apartment complex’s property management company, Asset Living, never returned AJC.com’s calls requesting a comment.
After the autopsy results were released, Davis' mother told Channel 2 she trusted police would do their due diligence. She also created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her son's funeral costs. As of Monday afternoon, the page had raised more than $3,000.
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