olice! Police!!!,  he said, dragging himself behind his undercover car.

The shooter

Watson and his girlfriend were brought in for questioning the day after the shooting. They separately told investigators they didn't know Lafond was a law enforcement officer at the time of the shooting.

Watson admitted to shooting Lafond.  He turned the gun toward me and shot, and I returned fire,  Watson said.

 How did you know it was an officer?  an investigator asked during the interview. Watson replied he learned about it on  the news  after the shooting.

Watson told investigators someone had been antagonizing his unhoused brother, and when he saw Lafond chasing his brother and pulling a gun on him, he assumed Lafond was an attacker, not a police officer.

After more than four hours of interrogation, APD released Watson and his girlfriend without charges.

The sheriff

 We're going to get this young man, and we're going to hold him accountable,  Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told the media on the day of the shooting. The incident was described as a drive-by shooting and an  ambush  by APD and the sheriff's office.

The case was closed a month later with no charges, despite an admission from shooter, because APD investigators concluded Watson  did not immediately recognize Deputy Lafond as an officer. 

 The footage also shows Sheriff Officer Lafond getting help from a bystander putting on his police equipment before additional police arrive on the scene,  the APD report said. The video also shows someone turned on Lafond's siren after the shooting but before back-up arrived.

Body camera recordings obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates show investigators had a copy of the surveillance video within an hour of the shooting. The body cam recordings also show the concealed police lights activated on Lafond's car when the first back-up officers arrive don scene.

The records

Atlanta News First Investigates requested the surveillance video and other records of the closed case from APD Public Affairs in December. At first, APD denied the request, incorrectly claiming it was not the investigating agency.

Once Atlanta News First Investigates proved APD was the lead agency on the case, APD Public Affairs referred the request to its open records division. The request languished there for months without the department releasing any records.

APD released body camera video, the incident report, and interrogation recordings in April. Atlanta News First Investigates repeatedly asked for the original surveillance video through June.

This statement from the Atlanta Police Department comes from its investigation of the shooting. (WANF)

APD open records finally denied the request for the surveillance video on July 2, citing two exceptions to the Georgia Open Records Act. APD claimed release of the video  would compromise security against sabotage or criminal or terrorist acts and the nondisclosure of which is necessary for the protection of life, safety, or public property  or  disclose the existence of a confidential surveillance. 

The award

After the shooting, Labat presented Lafond with a commendation for bravery in May 2025 while the deputy was still recovering from his injuries. Labat promoted Lafond to sergeant in January.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat (R) presented Deputy Evens Lafond with an award after he was shot. (WANF)

Labat's office did not respond to requests for interview with Lafond or the sheriff.

But Lafond's attorney, Jim Dahlquist, said,  Thank you for the opportunity to provide a statement regarding the aggravated assault of Sergeant Lafond on April 24, 2025. However, Fulton County Sheriff's Office policy mandates that all media requests must be submitted through the Public Affairs Officer. Therefore, in compliance with agency policy, Sergeant Lafond cannot provide a written statement or personal interview regarding the incident. 

Atlanta News First Investigates was unable to reach Watson or his girlfriend.

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