A former college football star died after being shot by police in Sandy Springs, Georgia, following an encounter where authorities say he pulled a handgun during a confrontation outside a bus stop.
La’Andre Thomas, 27, was shot by an officer on December 4, 2025, and later died at a hospital, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. No officers were injured in the incident.
The confrontation began at 10:30 AM when Sandy Springs police responded to a 911 call at Dunwoody Place. A woman reported she had been assaulted by a man while walking her dog in the area.
Officers reviewed security camera footage from the vicinity and identified Thomas as a suspect. They located him at a nearby MARTA bus stop, where he approached them and began speaking with the officers.
“During the conversation, Thomas pulled a handgun from his waistband,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. “One officer then shot Thomas, injuring him.”
Thomas was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead later that day. His body was turned over to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting. Once complete, the findings will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Thomas, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, was a standout athlete who played as a defensive back for the Memphis Tigers from 2017 to 2019. During his college career, he appeared in 30 games and recorded 80 total tackles, two interceptions, and other defensive contributions.
His most successful season came in 2019, when he started all 14 games for Memphis and accumulated 63 total tackles as a key member of the Tigers’ secondary.
Thomas’s 2018 season was significantly limited due to injury, restricting him to just four games. Despite the setback, he returned for his final college season and demonstrated his resilience on the field.
Before his college career, Thomas attended Wingfield High School in Mississippi, where he established himself as one of the state’s top prospects. ESPN ranked him among the top 40 players in the state, leading to multiple scholarship offers from Division I programs.
Following Thomas’s death, a GoFundMe campaign was established to support his family, including his daughter, Laila. The fundraiser described Thomas as a devoted father, son, brother, and friend.
Family members indicated they are hiring lawyers to pursue justice and accountability in the case. The fundraiser acknowledged that details surrounding the shooting remain unclear and expressed the family’s determination to seek answers.
“No family should ever have to experience this,” the family wrote in the campaign description. “Losing a loved one is tragic, but losing them in a violent, unexplained encounter with police leaves a wound that feels impossible to heal.”
The shooting adds to ongoing national discussions about police use of force and the circumstances under which officers discharge their weapons. The independent investigation by state authorities is standard protocol in officer-involved shootings in Georgia.
Sandy Springs, located just north of Atlanta, is one of Georgia’s largest cities and maintains its own police department separate from the county sheriff’s office. The city has experienced growth in recent years and serves as a major suburban center in the metropolitan area.
Thomas’s former teammates and members of the Memphis football community have expressed grief on social media, sharing memories of his time with the program. The University of Memphis has not issued an official statement regarding his death.
The case remains under investigation, with authorities expected to release additional information once the Georgia Bureau of Investigation completes its review and submits findings to prosecutors. The timeline for that process has not been disclosed.
