Manhunt for the alleged murderer of policeman Tafahree Maynard near Atlanta; allegedly killed officer Antwan Toney

SNELLVILLE, Ga. Authorities said they were pursuing the search for the second of two teenage suspects in connection with the murder of a police officer killed near a high school in northeast Atlanta. Authorities said Sunday that they thought that 18-year-old Tafahree Maynard had killed police officer Antwan Toney a day earlier, while he was controlling a suspicious vehicle parked near a school in New York. the Snellville area, Gwinnett County police said in a statement.

Maynard remained free Monday morning and should be considered armed and dangerous, the police said.

He faces charges of aggravated assault and aggravated murder.

"Tafahree Maynard must surrender," said Gwinnett County Police Chief Butch Ayers, at a press conference held last weekend.

Police said Maynard was not in a Gwinnett County home on Sunday night when a SWAT team had been deployed to hand him a search warrant.

Three people who were at home were questioned by the authorities, reports WGCL-TV, affiliated with CBS Atlanta.

An official statement issued a call to the public for information to locate Maynard.

A second suspect, Isaiah Pretlow, 19, was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a gun at an officer during the pursuit after Toney's fatal shooting. announced the police.

Toney died of injuries at a hospital last weekend, police said. A 30-year-old from Southern California, he had worked for the Gwinnett County Police Service for nearly three years and was in his first police position.

"People who worked daily with Agent Toney remembered a very jovial person, dedicated to his job and his community," Ayers said.

Toney and other police officers first responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle near a school, police said. When officers approached, someone in the vehicle opened fire and Toney was hit. Then the vehicle started.

According to police, Pretlow drove the vehicle away after the shooting, crashed nearby and escaped with three other occupants, WGCL said.

An officer searching the area then met Pretlow around 3 pm

Pretlow pointed a gun at the officer, who fired shots, according to a statement. Pretlow was not touched and escaped into the woods. He was then placed in custody by the US Marshals.

Toney's sister, Carla Johnson, announced that she had left California to travel to Atlanta, precisely to hold a position in Gwinnett County.

She says that she spoke with him just before he went to the suspicious vehicle.

Both were planning for the holidays.

"I talked to him while he was preparing for the call," Johnson said at a FaceTime call with WGCL. "During this call, the radio call went by and I ended up, and he said:" Okay, I have to go in. I have to take this call. call back immediately. " This is the last time I talked to him. The next call I received came from his lieutenant who told me what had happened. "

His family said that Agent Toney was living his dream forever.

"Antwan wanted to be a cop since we were kids," Johnson said. "He's the only person I know who knows what they want to do at age 4. He had police cars he was playing with, probably since his teenage years, and his police figurines. that he wanted to be a police officer. "

Agent Toney's sister said that he liked helping to guide children in the right direction. A viral video shows him playing a basketball game with a group of neighborhood kids. His sister said that he was party life, generous and had an immense heart.

"He wanted to be that person to bridge that gap between law enforcement and the community and show that there were good guys and that he was one of the best. between them, "Johnson said.