A Georgia father has been charged with murder after authorities say he shot his adult son 12 times during an argument outside a Buckhead apartment complex.
Fulton County police identified the suspect as 54-year-old Durante Tolliver, accused of killing his 32-year-old son, Durante Schofield, during a family dispute that escalated into deadly gunfire late Wednesday night.
Investigators say the confrontation began after Schofield crashed his SUV into a building and called his girlfriend for help. The woman reportedly contacted police anonymously before returning Schofield to his apartment, where a heated argument followed.
When tensions rose, she phoned Tolliver to help calm his son. Officers from the Atlanta Police Department were already at the scene speaking with the girlfriend when Tolliver arrived. Authorities said the father and son appeared calm as they left together for Tolliver’s vehicle, but moments later, another argument erupted after Schofield slammed the car door.
According to investigators, Tolliver told police he opened fire because he thought his son was reaching for a weapon. Schofield was later found to be unarmed. Police confirmed he was shot 12 times in the parking lot.
“I wouldn’t have ever imagined, not in a hundred years would I have thought that this was the phone call I was getting,” Schofield’s sister, Dee Clyburn, told WSB-TV. “That’s my big brother, and I will never be able to call him again.”
Clyburn described her brother as “the proud father of two kids.”
Residents in the area said they were awakened by gunfire that echoed through the complex. One neighbor told WANF, “I heard pop, pop, pop, pop. … But I did not want to go see. I did not get up out of bed. I did not go outside.”
Atlanta Police data obtained by local media shows at least 17 prior police calls to the same residence, highlighting a pattern of disturbances.
Tolliver has been charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He remains in custody without bond following his court appearance last week.
The tragic case adds to Georgia’s growing concerns over domestic violence and gun-related crimes, which continue to draw attention from criminal defense attorneys, personal injury lawyers, and gun violence prevention advocates across the state.
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