ATLANTA — The Fulton County Sheriff's Office has identified the deputy shot and killed in an off-duty incident early Thursday morning on Bolton Rd. as 24-year-old James Thomas.
In a release, the sheriff's office said he had been recruited specifically to the agency "because of his dedication to the law enforcement profession, and his remarkable work ethic."
"He will be truly missed," the release said.
In a press conference Thursday, Sheriff Pat Labat said he was an "outstanding young man" and the victim of a "heinous crime."
Atlanta Police said that around 4:30 a.m., officers received word about a shooting on Bolton Road and Peyton Road, near the southwest corner of Chattahoochee Park in the Riverside neighborhood.
Once there, they found a man in the driver's seat of a crashed vehicle who had been shot and killed. APD added that they are not sure yet if he was shot before or after the crash.
Pete Malecki with APD said in the press conference that the driver of the van that was also involved in the wreck had stopped and was cooperative with investigators. That driver is not suspected of being involved in the shooting.
Malecki described the incident saying the van had observed the deputy driving erratically and went to pass him, and at the moment the van was passing the driver heard gunfire and then the collision occurred.
Police do not know if the gunfire came from another car or possibly someone on foot.
Anyone with information is asked to contact APD or Crime Stoppers. They are hoping to make contact with anyone who might have been in the area of Bolton Road early Thursday who heard the gunfire or possibly saw anything suspicious beforehand.
The deputy, Sheriff Labat said, had been with the office for less than a year. He was recruited out of another local police department in the south "specifically because of the energy and his love for what he brought to our agency," Labat said.
The deputy has not yet been identified, as his family is traveling to Atlanta still.
Labat added that the young deputy was "so well-liked, he was the life of the party" on the force, who maintained a "very good spirit" whatever the situation.
"He was what you would want in a deputy," Labat said.
A reward for information in the killing has been increased to $30,000, the sheriff's office said.