A 30-year-old Georgia police officer who was shot and killed over the weekend grew up in Southern California and previously lived in Bellflower.
Antwan Toney was fatally shot Saturday as he checked a report of a suspicious car parked near a school in Snellville, Georgia, which is about 25 miles outside of Atlanta, Gwinnett County Police said in a statement.
He had been with the Gwinnett County Police Department for nearly three years, serving in his first police job.
This was the first police job for Officer Toney. Prior to working for our agency, he worked as a security guard. His immediate family lives in California.
Officer Toney was assigned to the South Precinct. pic.twitter.com/JKV5oOLD7K
— Gwinnett County Police (@GwinnettPd) October 21, 2018
Previously, Toney lived in Southern California where he still has family, according to authorities. In 2006, he became a police explorer in the city of Orange, according to the police department there.
Toney’s sister said the two had celebrated his birthday in Las Vegas days before he was killed, according to WXIA-TV in Georgia. He aspired to become a detective, she told the TV station.
Rest in eternal peace to @GwinnettPd Police Officer and former @CityOfOrangePD Police Explorer Antwan Toney, who was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty yesterday in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Officer Toney began his law enforcement career with us at OPD in 2006. pic.twitter.com/5O5PQcDYYq
— Orange Police Department (California) (@CityOfOrangePD) October 21, 2018
Tafahree Maynard, the 18-year-old believed to be responsible for the shooting, remained at large Monday morning and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said. He faces charges of aggravated assault and felony murder. The shooting happened near a middle school about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.
“Tafahree Maynard needs to turn himself in,” Gwinnett County Police Chief Butch Ayers said at a weekend news conference.
Police said Maynard wasn’t at a Gwinnett County house Sunday evening where a SWAT team deployed to serve a search warrant for him. An official statement appealed to the public for tips on Maynard’s whereabouts.
A second suspect, 19-year-old Isaiah Pretlow, was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a gun at an officer during the pursuit after Toney’s fatal shooting, police had said earlier.
Isaiah Pretlow (in dreadlocks) has been arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault. Still at large is Tafahree Maynard, who is charged with Aggravated Assault and Felony Murder in connection with Ofc. Toney’s murder. Anyone with information on Maynard should call 770-513-5710. pic.twitter.com/18w0JXV1VG
— Gwinnett County Police (@GwinnettPd) October 21, 2018
Toney died at a hospital over the weekend from his wounds, police said.
“The people that worked with Officer Toney on a daily basis recalled a very jovial person who was dedicated to his job and dedicated to his community,” Ayers said.
Toney and other officers initially responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle near a school, police said. When the officers approached, someone in the vehicle opened fire and Toney was hit. Then the vehicle sped off.
According to police, Pretlow drove the vehicle away after the shooting, crashed a short distance away and fled along with other occupants. An officer searching the area later encountered Pretlow around 3 p.m. Pretlow pointed a gun at the officer, who fired shots, according to a statement. Pretlow was not hit and fled into some woods. He was subsequently taken into custody by U.S. Marshals.
Breaking News Editor Jeremiah Dobruck contributed to this report.