Valdosta, GA man sentenced to life for deadly shooting inside South DeKalb mall restaurant

DECATUR, GA—A 49-year-old Valdosta man was sentenced to life in prison in the deadly shooting that occurred inside a restaurant at The Gallery at South DeKalb mall. Three people were injured and one person was killed during the 2022 incident.  

DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston on Friday, Sept. 26, announced the conviction by jury trial and sentencing of James Elderidge Scott, who was found guilty of Malice Murder; two counts of Felony Murder; Aggravated Assault and other charges in connection with the shooting on June 10, 2022. 

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams, who presided over the trial, sentenced Scott to Life Without the Possibility of Parole, plus 96 years.

According to the investigation, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded around 11:30 p.m. to a report of a shooting inside a restaurant and bar at South DeKalb Mall.  When they arrived, police found four people suffering from gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported them to various hospitals for treatment.  One of the victims, Daletavious McGuire, 48, did not survive. 

Investigators interviewed the surviving victims and learned they were at the restaurant celebrating McGuire’s mother for her 71^st birthday.  One of the victims was at the party with his fiancée when a man, later identified as Scott, brushed up against her.  The victim confronted Scott and they began arguing.  Several people witnessed the argument and tried to calm things down, but Scott reached into his pants, pulled out a gun, and shot the man.  Scott then continued firing randomly into the restaurant. 

The incident inside the restaurant was captured on surveillance video.  In the video, Scott was recorded wearing a high visibility vest and a wide-brimmed straw hat. 

After firing multiple rounds, Scott grabbed a pitcher of beer from a table and walked into the parking lot.  Police found multiple cars in the parking lot had also been shot at, investigators said.   

The following day, a mall security guard found a neon vest and straw hat on the sidewalk that appeared to match what the shooter was wearing.  Investigators swabbed the items for DNA and submitted them to the GBI Crime Lab for testing.  

Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta published still images of the suspect from the surveillance video, and an anonymous tipster identified the shooter as James E. Scott.  Law enforcement arrested Scott on June 28, 2022, and his DNA matched the DNA from the straw hat. 

The case, assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Atakora, with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Farrah Shawarby, District Attorney Investigator Tia Johnson, and Victim Advocate Christy Palmer.  DeKalb County Police Department Detective B.R. Smith led the initial investigation.