Mother of Devon Anderson and local advocates press Fulton officials for justice in off‑duty officer shooting

Valerie (Val) Anderson addressed the Fulton County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 15 to urge action in the case of her son, Devon Anderson Jr., whom she said was shot to death on Aug. 5, 2024 by an off‑duty Atlanta Police Department officer, Melvin Potter. "This man was out of work for 1 hour getting paid. Now he's back at work," Anderson told the commissioners, and she said she had not received clear answers about why Potter remained employed and why the charge was recorded as obstruction rather than murder.

Other speakers at the meeting echoed Anderson's call for accountability. Ibrahim Mo, speaking on behalf of "Justice for Devon Anderson," said it had been nearly a year with no prosecution and urged commissioners to press the district attorney to move the case forward. Shabnam Basheri of the American Friends Service Committee recounted following Anderson through multiple public offices and asked the board to "push for the district attorney to press charges against Melvin Potter and to move the case forward so that he can be removed from the police department and so justice can be served."

The public‑comment speakers referred to interactions with the GBI and the Fulton County District Attorney's Office and said they had been told to await an indictment for further action. Those speakers said they had appealed to city council members and the police chief with little visible result and asked the county's elected leaders to add pressure.

What was said and who said it: Valerie Anderson said her son "was shot my son 3 times" and asked why the officer had been charged with obstruction rather than murder. Ibrahim Mo summarized the group's position: "She's not even asking for major police reform, just something as simple as having the man who brutally murdered her son... to just basically face any amount of justice."

Why it matters: Multiple constituents used the public comment period to demand county action, urging locally elected officials to use their influence with prosecutors and law enforcement leaders to seek a criminal filing or other accountability. The commissioners did not take a formal action during the meeting on prosecution or employment status for the officer; public comment does not require a formal board response.

Ending: Supporters said they will continue to press elected leaders and to bring families to future hearings. The board did not announce a specific follow‑up at the meeting.