Left inset: Durante Tolliver (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Durante Schofield (WKRC/YouTube). Background: The crime scene after Durante Tolliver allegedly shot and killed his son Durante Schofield in Buckhead, Ga., following an argument (WSB/YouTube).
In Georgia, a father shot his 32-year-old son multiple times following a heated argument over a car door being slammed and a dispute involving the son’s girlfriend, as reported by the police.
Durante Tolliver, aged 54, is facing murder charges for the fatal shooting of his son, Durante Schofield, which occurred at a Buckhead apartment complex in Fulton County. This tragic incident was detailed by local ABC affiliate WSB.
Authorities revealed that Schofield had crashed his SUV into a building late Wednesday night and subsequently reached out to his girlfriend for assistance. She, in turn, contacted the police anonymously regarding the crash and then drove Schofield home to his apartment.
Upon returning home, a conflict erupted between the couple, prompting the girlfriend to call Tolliver for help in pacifying Schofield, according to local NBC affiliate WXIA. Police were dispatched to the location around 12:22 a.m. and were conversing with the girlfriend when Tolliver arrived to talk to his son, as reported by WXIA.
Initially, the father and son appeared composed as they exited the apartment together to depart in Tolliver’s vehicle. However, tensions flared again in the parking lot when Schofield reportedly slammed the car door, leading to another argument.
The situation escalated, resulting in Tolliver firing shots at his son. He later explained to the police that he believed Schofield was reaching for a weapon at his waistband. However, a search conducted after the shooting found no firearms or weapons on Schofield, who suffered 12 gunshot wounds, according to the authorities.
“I wouldn’t have ever imagined, not in a hundred years would I have thought that this was the phone call I was getting,” Schofield’s sister, Dee Clyburn, told WSB. “That’s my big brother, and I will never be able to call him again.”
Clyburn added, “He was the proud father of two kids.”
Neighbors told WSB they heard the arguing going on inside the apartment before the shooting, and that police have been called to the residence before.
One resident described to local TV station WANF hearing the gunshots, saying, “I heard pop, pop, pop, pop. … But I did not want to go see. I did not get up out of bed. I did not go outside; I did not come out. I did not go anywhere.”
WANF, citing Atlanta Police crime data, reports that at least 17 calls have been made to the residence where Schofield lived.
Tolliver was being held without bond after appearing in court last week. He is charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, in addition to murder.
