In the early hours of Thursday, October 30, a routine domestic-disturbance call ended in tragedy at the Pharr Apartments in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. A 32-year-old man, identified by police as Durante Schofield, was killed by gunfire after his father, 54-year-old Durante Rowe‑Tolliver, arrived to help break up a heated argument between Schofield and his girlfriend.
According to arrest warrants filed by the Atlanta Police Department, officers responded around 12:22 a.m. to a domestic dispute at the apartment complex on Pharr Rd. NW. The girlfriend had called Schofield’s father to intervene. While officers spoke with the woman inside the unit, the father and son stepped outside toward their vehicle in the parking lot.
Moments later, when the son slammed the car door and the father suggested he step out to “cool down,” a confrontation escalated. The father says he believed his son was reaching for a gun in his waistband, and he opened fire — discharging at least five shots from about 10 to 15 feet away.
Officers inside the apartment immediately heard gunshots in the parking lot and rushed outside, finding Schofield with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No weapon was publicly confirmed as recovered.
Tolliver was taken into custody and has been charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Investigators have said the probe remains ongoing.
Neighbors of the complex reported hearing the gunfire and mistaking it at first for fireworks. One resident said seeing police on the scene almost immediately “let me know it wasn’t fireworks.”
As of now, the girlfriend who originally called for help has been questioned and is not facing charges. Any deeper exploration of what sparked the dispute inside the apartment has not been released publicly.
The incident raises painful questions about the line between intervention and tragedy in family conflicts. What began as a call for calming turned into a fatal exchange in minutes. Authorities continue to review evidence, and the community is left reeling at how quickly a dispute could lead to such loss.