Update: Maynard was reported dead by Georgia authorities on Monday morning after police reportedly shot and killed him during a confrontation in a shed. For more details, please check our updated coverage of this story here.
Federal and State authorities are asking for the public's help in locating a man who is suspected of shooting and killing Gwinnett County, Georgia police officer Antwan Toney. The suspect's name is Tafahree Maynard, and authorities warn that he should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees Maynard is warned not to attempt to approach him alone, but rather to call 911 or the Gwinnett County police at 770-513-5710.
What happened?
Police say that officer Toney was investigating a 911 call reporting a suspicious vehicle parked near a middle school, according to WSB-TV. Gwinnett County Police Chief Butch Ayers told CNN that as Toney approached the vehicle, Maynard opened fire from inside the vehicle, and struck officer Toney. Another officer who was on the scene returned fire and dragged Toney to safety, but he later died from his injuries.
According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, Maynard is 18 years old. A 19-year-old man named Isaiah Pretlow was also in the car with Maynard at the time of the shooting. The suspects initially fled the scene in a black sedan, but they crashed the car less than a mile away and continued their flight on foot.
After the shooting, federal and local authorities began a massive manhunt for the two suspects. Pretlow was reportedly captured by Federal Marshals at 11:30pm on Saturday night. However, at the time of the writing of this article, Maynard remains at large.
Police are currently focusing their search in the Stone Mountain area east of Atlanta. They ask anyone who sees Maynard to please report his whereabouts by either calling 911 or calling the Gwinnett County police at 770-513-5710.
Anything else?
Officer Toney had just turned 30 years old and was about to celebrate his third anniversary with the Gwinnett County police, according to WSB.
He joined the department as a recruit in 2015 and graduated from the Gwinnett Police Academy in 2016.
The Gwinnett Police Department noted on twitter that this was Officer Toney's first job as a police officer and that his family is from California.
Officer Toney was the first Gwinnett County Police officer to be killed in the line of duty in over 25 years.
Officer Toney's family and friends erected a memorial for Officer Toney on Saturday and gathered to remember his life on Saturday night. According to WSB, they remembered him as a jovial man who loved his job as a police officer.
