Athens-Clarke police investigating after woman's son shoots, kills her boyfriend
Wayne Ford
wford@onlineathens.com
Deborah Parrish was in the kitchen of her Athens home preparing dinner on the evening before Thanksgiving when she heard the gunfire.
In the next moments, her boyfriend, Cecil Antonio Pittard, 32, lay dead on the floor and her son, 29-year-old Joshua Scott, was holding a gun.
Athens-Clarke Police Capt. Chris Nichols said Tuesday that police have not charged Scott in the shooting as they are still investigating the circumstances of how Scott came to shoot Pittard.
"We are going over witness statements and physical evidence and we're also in contact with the district attorney's office to discuss any appropriate charges if any should be lodged," he said.
"It appears there was a dispute or confrontation between the decedent and the shooter, which ultimately ended in Cecil being fatally injured," Nichols said.
The shooting occurred about 8:30 p.m. in the Parrish home on Garnett Ridge Drive, a subdivision off Jefferson River Road in north Athens.
Nothing seemed amiss in the household, according to Parrish.
"I was in the kitchen cutting up the ham for Thanksgiving and my son was sitting at the table listening to a video on Youtube. We were laughing and my boyfriend was in another room," she recalled.
At some point, she said her boyfriend, who had been drinking, made comments about them.
Then Parrish said she heard her son say, "What are you doing man?"
"The next thing I knew shots are fired," she said. "It was terrifying."
When medics arrived to aid Pittard, Nichols said they found no sign of life so the coroner was called.
An autopsy was ordered on Pittard, who had resided on Hollow Ridge Drive in Athens.
Days after the shooting, Parrish said she was still upset and trying to deal with what happened.