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DECATUR, GA–DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces the conviction by jury trial of a Buffalo, N.Y. man accused of shooting and killing a man inside a Brookhaven tattoo shop.
A jury on Thursday, Sept. 17, found Jonathan Thomas, 35, guilty of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony in connection with the death of Percy Scott, 33, on March 21, 2024.
According to the investigation, officers with the Brookhaven Police Department responded at around 10:20 p.m. to a report of a person shot at a tattoo shop in the 4400 block of Chamblee Dunwoody Road. When officers arrived, they found Scott lying face down just inside the door showing no signs of life.
Officers met with the owner of the tattoo shop who had called 911 to report the shooting. He told police that he knew the victim as “Peanut” and the shooter by the nickname “T.” All three men were acquaintances who had separately relocated to metro Atlanta from Buffalo. The shop owner explained that Peanut and T had gotten into an argument, which turned into a physical altercation. The owner tried to break up the fight, but when that did not work, he removed himself from the escalating situation. He then heard gunshots and ran to the convenience store next door to call for help.
After securing the scene, officers reviewed surveillance camera video from the area. The video showed a man arriving in a red Hyundai and then leaving in the same vehicle immediately after the time of the shooting. Officers used FLOCK cameras to track down the Hyundai and found it parked at an apartment complex in Sandy Springs. Police looked up the license plate and identified Defendant Thomas as the registered owner of the red car. They compared his driver’s license photo to the surveillance video to confirm he was the shooter before taking him into custody at the complex.
Police then returned to the tattoo shop and the owner also positively identified Thomas as the shooter from a photo lineup.
As part of the investigation, officers secured surveillance footage from inside the tattoo shop. With the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the detectives watched the footage of the incident. The video showed Thomas was the initial aggressor when he struck the victim, starting the physical altercation. The footage also captured the Thomas shooting the victim multiple times, killing him.
Immediately following the guilty verdict, Senior Judge Arch W. McGarity, who presided over the trial sitting by designation for DeKalb County Superior Court, sentenced Thomas to Life with the Possibility of Parole, plus 15 years.
The case, assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Garrett Emmons with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Laura James, District Attorney Investigator Alexander Ortiz and Victim Advocate Christy Palmer. Brookhaven Police Department Detective S. Dell led the initial investigation.