Fulton County

Former East Point officers face charges after shooting a man, leaving him a quadriplegic

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — We are now seeing a dashcam video of an officer-involved shooting that left a man a quadriplegic, and two former officers are facing serious charges for their involvement.

In December 2018, Devin Nolley was shot as he jumped from his car on Interstate 285 near Camp Creek Parkway while running towards some woods. In the video, officers can be seen firing at Nolley. One of the officers screams “Don’t move!” more than 20 times as he approaches the wounded man, who is lying on his stomach.

Nolley’s attorneys said he was hit twice in the back and twice in the legs, and he is now a quadriplegic.

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“He was suspected of stealing a vehicle, and now he’s a quadriplegic,” one of his attorneys, Carlos Moore, said during a news conference in front of the Fulton County Courthouse.

A grand jury indicted former East Point officers Rodney Etienne and Shiron Varner for their role in the 2018 shooting. They face charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, violation of oath and reckless conduct.

Police said they initially tried to stop Nolley after they suspected him of driving a stolen car. Etienne says Nolley tried to run him over, which was when he and Varner fired multiple shots near the public shopping center. Nolley’s attorneys say the dashcam video disproves that account.

“Devin Nolley backs up. He attempts to avoid Officer Etienne and drives off,” attorney James Bryant said.

Nolley made it to I-285, and at that point a City of South Fulton officer performed a pit maneuver. Nolley jumped out of the disabled car and was shot. His attorneys say he was not a threat, which is why the officers were charged.

“Who was he threatening? He was unarmed. You never see him brandishing a weapon of any sort,” Moore said.

Nolley’s attorneys thanked Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for pursuing charges.

“This does not happen typically across the United States,” Moore pointed out.

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Attorney Jackie Patterson said Nolley is in a nursing home, and his life is changed forever.

“He can’t do anything below his neck. His daughter is devastated,” he said.

Nolley has filed a civil lawsuit against the officers, the City of East Point and the City of South Fulton. His attorneys are asking those entities to avoid going to court by agreeing to pay for his lifetime medical care and expenses.

Both cities said they couldn’t comment on pending litigation. East Point said the shooting happened years ago under a different administration.

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