Suspect in Gwinnett County Officer's Murder, Killed Monday

If you ask anyone what one of the biggest problems currently plaguing the United States is, chances are they will say that police brutality and gun violence are the most disastrous culprits. In 2017, there were 46,482 gun-related incidents according to the Gun Violence Archives. There were a little more than 11,000 deaths related to gun violence in 2017, while a staggering 23,013 were injured at the hands of these dangerous weapons.

Police brutality has been at the forefront of the media in recent years with famous cases such as Antwon Rose in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania gaining national coverage after he was shot by police despite being unarmed. The killings have sparked such national outrage that it prompted the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter that has still been highly circulated in the five years since its’ creation.

Recently, as of this past weekend though, it seems like both police brutality and gun violence have come to a head when Officer Antwan Toney, a 30-year old police officer with the Gwinnett County Police Department in Georgia was fatally shot.

Officer Toney, who was about to celebrate his third anniversary with the Gwinnett County Police Department, was responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle parked near a middle school on Saturday when he was shot. Police officers wear bulletproof vests to prevent the kind of tragedy that the family of Officer Toney is now experiencing, however the bullet missed the vest marginally.

He was transferred to the local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Since the fatal shooting, the Gwinnett County Police Department launched a full-on manhunt and investigation to try and locate Tafahree Maynard, the 18-year old who was wanted in Officer Toney’s murder over the weekend.

Tafahree Maynard managed to flee the scene after Toney’s murder, however Isaiah Prelow, an accomplice and suspect, was arrested on Saturday. Preslow, a 19-year old, was charged with aggravated assault that was involved in a different incident after Officer Toney was shot.

Police located Maynard on Monday, October 22, 2018 after receiving a tip that he was reportedly somewhere in the Snellville area of Georgia. When police confronted Maynard, he “failed to comply” with their verbal demands and was fatally shot after police saw him holding a lawnmower blade behind his back. Gwinnett County Police Department held a news conference on Monday and Police Chief Butch Ayers went over the details of the fatal confrontation.

Ayers went on to state, “I would like to say that the danger to the community is over.” In the press release, Chief Officer Ayers talked about Maynard’s motives, citing, “we may never know” when trying to find out what prompted Maynard to shoot at Office Toney. The suspicious vehicle contained three individuals and four firearms and various drugs in his car the day of the murder.

It’s currently unclear as to whether or not Maynard had any accomplices who helped him escape the scene and evade authorities over the weekend, however the Gwinnett County Police Department is spearheading the investigation until they get answers, and ultimately retribution for their slain brother in blue.

As for Officer Toney, his family embraces his memory and his love for his occupation. His sister, Carla Johnson told FOX5 Atlanta that her brother “knew he wanted to be a police officer since he was a child. He had cop figurines, police cars. He used to roll around the house all the time.”

Further information, I’m sure, will come to light about Maynard and the other suspects as the growing concern for both gun violence and police brutality continue to climb. Regardless, at the end of the day, a man who looked forward to a lifelong career in the field he loves, had that dream and passion taken away too early.