The security guard involved in a deadly fight at an apartment complex just off Georgia State’s campus is defending his actions.
The guard, who is not being identified since he has not been charged, told Channel 2 Action News on Wednesday that he remains employed by Metro Security at One12 Courtland after the Sunday morning fight killed 24-year-old Deionte “JR” Davis.
“The evidence that the police currently have showed me working in a professional manner,” he told Channel 2 over the phone. “Other than that, I would refer you to Metro Security, One12 Courtland and the Atlanta Police Department.”
Davis’ death has been ruled a homicide by investigators, but an arrest has not been made. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded Tuesday that he died due to “compression of the chest.”
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On Wednesday, the security guard’s 911 call was obtained by AJC.com. It 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.
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.”
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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, has not returned AJC.com’s calls requesting a comment on this investigation.
After the autopsy results were released, Davis' mother told Channel 2 she trusts police will do their due diligence. She has created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her son's funeral costs.
The police investigation is ongoing. The incident report was not available Wednesday.
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