On Thursday, at a memorial service, the father of the deputy who was found dead in his car broke his silence about his son’s murder.
I’m so sad. It seems like the world has turned upside down for me. That was my firstborn, and I give thanks to God that he was able to pursue his passion,” said James Thomas, Sr.
James Thomas Jr., his son, was a deputy with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office for about a year. He was 24 years old.
The shooting happened on December 29 when he was off duty. According to the investigation, the deputy tried to flee in his vehicle but smashed it on Bolton Road.
Investigators have detained 26-year-old Alton Oliver on suspicion of shooting him on Tuesday. Thomas’ superior, Lt. Felandrias Gaston, addressed the crowd at Thursday’s vigil.
Deputy James Thomas, Jr., radio number 1935, “finally accomplished exactly what he always desired, to motivate and make a difference in the lives of everybody around him,” stated Gaston.
‘My World Is Upside Down:’ Father Of Murdered Fulton County Deputy Remembers His Son At Ceremony
At a memorial service held on Thursday, the father of the deputy whose body was discovered shot to death inside his car shared his thoughts about his son for the first time in a public forum.
“I grieve. My whole world has been turned upside down. That was my first born, and I give thanks to God that he turned out to be exactly what he desired to be,” James Thomas, Sr. remarked.
His son, Deputy James Thomas, Jr., was 24 years old when he started working for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. He had been there for a little over a year.
On December 29, he had just gotten off work when he was shot. According to the investigators, the deputy intended to flee in his vehicle but ended up crashing it on Bolton Road, where he later died.
Investigators have detained a 26-year-old guy named Alton Oliver on the suspicion that he is the person who shot the victim.
At the vigil held for Thomas on Thursday, Lt. Felandrias Gaston, Thomas’ boss, gave a speech.
According to Gaston, “In the end, Deputy James Thomas, Jr., radio number 1935, achieved exactly what he always intended to achieve, which was to motivate and make a difference in the lives of all those around him.”
At the service to remember those who had passed away, speakers from the county and the city included Mayor Andre Dickens.
Law enforcement colleagues from all around the county congregated in the assembly chamber of the Fulton County Government Center, which is where the event was held.
Sheriff Pat Labat requested that the family turn around and look at the crowd of people who had gathered to show their support. The people in attendance applauded Thomas for his service.
His family left the city in a motorcade and made their way back to Mississippi, their home state, where they want to bury Thomas.
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Police Chief Who Mentored Murdered Fulton Sheriff’s Deputy Remembers Him As A ‘Blessing’
As a young boy growing up in Mississippi, James Thomas, who is now a deputy for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, always had a clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life.
“Every time we would come through the neighbourhood, he was just excited to see the officers and he would flag us down,” said Chief Terence Crump of the Edwards, Mississippi police department. “Every time we would come through the neighbourhood,
he was just excited to see the officers he would flag us down.” “He was truly a blessing, as opposed to the majority of kids his age, for whom the law enforcement system was not on their radar.”
On Thursday, law enforcement found Thomas, 24, dead in his own vehicle on Bolton Road in Atlanta. He had been shot to death.
The authorities have not disclosed any arrests at this time.
When Chief Crump was an officer in Jackson, Mississippi, he patrolled the community that Thomas lived in. Chief Crump noted that Thomas was anxious to start chasing crime before he could even drive.
Crump explained, “We would receive a call, and I don’t know how he did it but he was on his bike and he would beat us to a call.” “I don’t know how he did it but he was on his bike and he would beat us to a call.” “He would be in possession of all of the vital information that we require,” the sentence reads.
According to Chief Crump, he mentored Thomas and gave him a head start in the police force by taking him under his wing.
They had their final conversation fewer than twenty-four hours before it was reported that he had not been seen alive.
“I asked him on Tuesday of last week if he had any plans of returning one day, and he responded only if I could come back as a chief of police somewhere,” I added. “I asked him if he had any plans of returning one day.”
Crump was positive that this would be in his foreseeable future.
Rob DiRienzo from FOX 5 heard him say, “I had no doubt in my mind that he was still with us, and maybe a couple years down the road I think he would’ve,” and he quoted him as saying, “I had no doubt in my mind that he was still with us.”
According to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Thomas worked a shift on Wednesday evening of the previous week. His death was discovered by the detectives on Thursday morning in the vehicle that belonged to him.
The investigators are still trying to piece together what took place between the time he left the station and the time he was found dead.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is offering a reward of $30,000 to anyone who can provide information that leads to the identification and arrest of the person who murdered Thomas.
Final Words
On Thursday, at a memorial service, the father of the deputy who was found dead in his car broke his silence about his son’s murder.
I’m so sad. It seems like the world has turned upside down for me. That was my firstborn, and I give thanks to God that he was able to pursue his passion,” said James Thomas, Sr.
James Thomas Jr., his son, was a deputy with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office for about a year. He was 24 years old.
The shooting happened on December 29 when he was off duty. According to the investigation, the deputy tried to flee in his vehicle but smashed it on Bolton Road.
Investigators have detained 26-year-old Alton Oliver on suspicion of shooting him on Tuesday.
