Cops: Off-duty officer shot at Waffle House

Authorities released new details Monday about an incident at a south Fulton County Waffle House in which an off-duty Union City police officer and a friend were shot.

Fulton County police are looking for a group of teens said to have shot the two victims at the Waffle House at 915 Evander Holyfield Highway near Fairburn.

The off-duty officer, Donald Wallace, of College Park, was shot in the stomach, and his companion, Giovanni Jenkins, of Decatur, was shot in the right foot, according to the incident report released Monday.

Both were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Union City police have confirmed that Wallace, 35, is an officer with the department, but declined to say more.

Witnesses told police that sometime around 1:45 a.m., Wallace was approached in the restaurant by a teen who asked him for change for a $20 bill.

"All I carry is $100's," Wallace told the teen, according to witness statements stated in police reports. "I don't carry nothing less than that."

Witnesses told police the teen was offended by Wallace's statement and said as much.

According to police reports, Wallace walked up on the teen and told him, "You're going to learn to respect your elders.”

Five teens then surrounded him, police said, and witnesses say Wallace promised to “whoop all their [butts].”

Witnesses said people inside the restaurant ran for cover and didn’t see what happened next, but heard about eight gunshots outside in the parking lot.

Wallace said he identified himself as a policeman and left the Waffle House with Jenkins, where there were as many as 20 teens outside.

Wallace and Jenkins told police they went to their car, and one of the teens approached them, pointing a gun at Wallace’s face from approximately five feet away, according to police reports.

Jenkins told police the gunman went into the trunk of a dark-colored Chevrolet Impala, but Wallace said the teen retrieved something from the rear of a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Wallace and the suspect exchanged fire, the report said. Wallace told police he raised his hand to protect his face and was hit in his left arm before shooting three times.

Police said the gunman got into a red Monte Carlo and drove toward Clayton County.

The shooter is described as a black male, 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9, with a slim build and short hair, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.

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-- Dispatch editor Fran Jeffries contributed to this article.