Father of man shot by Atlanta police officer Easter weekend speaks out

ATLANTA - The father of the man shot by an Atlanta Police Department officer Saturday morning is speaking out.

Theodore Duffey says his son Jamario Duffy underwent a second surgery Sunday morning at Grady Memorial Hospital.

"He had been shot twice once in the arm and once in the stomach," Duffey said.

"They was able to take the breathing tube off and he's breathing on his own, but they still say he has a long way to recover," he added.

Duffey said he found out late Saturday night that his son had been shot.

(FOX 5 Atlanta)

According to the GBI an APD officer responded to a scene along North Avenue where a truck crashed into a guard post around 4 a.m. Saturday morning. They say Jamario was driving that truck. The officer tried to make contact with him through the passenger side window, then went to the drivers side. That's when they say the officer opened Jamario's door, and he tried to drive away.

"The male driver of that vehicle became immediately irate, exited the vehicle and began assaulting the police officer," Major Peter Malecki with the Atlanta Police Department explained.

That's when investigators say the officer fired his weapon.

"Immediately, I kind of lost it as a dad. I wonder what was going on. I didn't know why he was there," Duffey explained.

(FOX 5 Atlanta)

At this point, there is no indication Jamario was armed. His father wants more answers.

"They didn't mention any weapons or anything like that, so why was he shot and not tased? And, nobody could give me any kind of answer or anything like that. They forwarded me to the GBI department," Duffey said.

The GBI did not have any updates on the case Sunday. They are conducting an independent investigation and will then give their findings to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office.