FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The fast-food restaurant manager accused of fatally shooting his employee’s father told investigators he acted in self-defense after the victim ordered his wife to retrieve a gun from their vehicle, an investigator testified Tuesday.
Fulton County Magistrate Judge Todd Ashley ruled there was enough evidence for the case against Maurice Evans, 23, to move forward following a preliminary hearing stemming from the Dec. 7 shooting outside a Bojangles restaurant in Palmetto.
Police say Evans shot and killed Dominique Goodman, 43, during a confrontation in the parking lot.
According to testimony from Palmetto Police Detective Marcy Queen, Evans and his employee, Amari Goodman, the victim’s daughter, were working the same shift when they got into two heated arguments.
One dispute involved whether the drive-thru window should remain open on a cold morning, Queen testified. A second argument centered on how hot and cold food items were being stored, including concerns about cross-contamination.
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Prosecutors played surveillance footage that showed Evans and Amari Goodman arguing inside a back office of the restaurant. Investigators said Goodman pocket-dialed her father during the exchange, allowing him to hear the argument before he drove to the restaurant to check on his daughter.
Once there, prosecutors said, Dominique Goodman confronted Evans, who was sitting in a Jeep with his wife.
Evans told investigators he refused to get out of the vehicle and did not want to fight, Queen testified. Evans claimed Goodman tried to strike him in the face three times, though prosecutors said Goodman never made contact.
Evans also told police he fired multiple shots in self-defense after hearing Goodman tell his wife to get a gun from the vehicle. Investigators testified that Goodman was unarmed and that no gun was found in his car.
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Evans, who was seated in the front passenger seat, told police he fired only from inside the Jeep. However, multiple witnesses told investigators that Evans exited the vehicle and fired eight shots at Goodman, including three shots to his back while he was already on the ground.
On Tuesday afternoon, a judge denied bond for Maurice Evans, who is charged with murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Before issuing the ruling, the judge reviewed six character letters submitted by Evans’ defense team from family members and co-workers. The letters asked the court to grant bond, describing Evans as a peaceful man and urging that he be allowed to return home to his wife and stepchild.
Evans’s attorney also argued that his client was a suitable candidate for bond, noting that he has no prior criminal record.
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