FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — In a rare move for a defendant in such cases, the ma n accused of fatally shooting a Fulton County sheriff's deputy testified in his defense.

Alton Oliver told jurors that he shot James Thomas out of fear after Thomas drove by him multiple times, making unwanted sexual advances. Oliver said that after Thomas’s second pass, he returned—this time speeding toward him.

“I get spooked, I pull my firearm from my waistband, and I point it in that direction, and then I go home,” Oliver testified. He admitted firing his weapon out of fear but claimed he didn’t know he had struck Thomas.

During cross-examination, prosecutors pressed Oliver about leaving the scene.

“Didn’t you tell the detectives that you knew it was wrong to leave the scene?” the prosecutor asked.

“I kne

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