Atlanta police have made an arrest in the deadly shooting of a Fulton County deputy.
James Thomas, 24, was found shot to death in his crashed car near Bolton Road early Thursday morning.
Jail records show that police arrested Alton Oliver, 26, on Monday on felony murder and aggravated assault charges. During a news conference on Tuesday, police confirmed the arrest is connected to Thomas’ death.
WSB was first on the scene when authorities blocked the intersection of Bolton Road and Peyton Road.
Police told WSB that someone crashed into the deputy’s car at some point during the incident and then drove away. Just after 4:30 a.m., officers responded to a shooting at the intersection.
Officers found Thomas’ body in the driver’s seat of his car.
Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said Thomas had been with the sheriff’s office for less than a year and was part of the Grady Detention Unit. Labat described the 24-year-old deputy from Mississippi as “the life of the party.”
“He was an outstanding young man. We personally recruited him from another police department down south specifically because of the energy and his love for what he brought to our agency,” Labat said.
Oliver was scheduled to make his first appearance on Tuesday morning, according to Fulton County court records.