A Habersham County deputy responding to a 911 call in Mt. Airy shot and killed a man who met him at the door holding a fake gun, officials say. The GBI identified the man as 39-year-old Anthony Maurice Tollison.
Preliminary information indicates that the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 911 call at Tollison’s home on Cross Street at 8:43 p.m on September 12. The caller said someone at the home had a gun, then the call was disconnected.
“The responding deputies were not immediately able to contact anyone when they arrived at the home. After continued efforts, the door opened, and deputies were confronted by a man with a weapon and deputies shot the man,” says GBI spokesperson Natalie Ammons.
No deputies were injured in the incident.
According to Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell, only one deputy was involved in the shooting. He did not release his name. The deputy is now on paid administrative.
Tollison’s family tells Now Habersham they are struggling to comprehend what has happened.
“We’re not laying blame on the police officers. We’re not saying they weren’t doing their job. It was 9 o’clock, it was dark, you can’t always tell a BB gun from a real gun, but there will always be the question, ‘Could you have not identified it as a BB gun?'” asks Tollison’s nephew Rusty Lynn.
Lynn and his wife Juliana live with their son in northwest Georgia. He says Tollison messaged them Monday night before he was killed.
“He had been through some things recently, but we didn’t see this coming honestly,” says Lynn. “He’s been down and out but he’s never done anything to harm himself or anyone else.”
According to his nephew, Tollison had been dealing with health issues that had kept him out of work. He was at home alone when he was shot.
Ammons says deputies administered CPR and rendered aid until medics arrived. Tollison died at the scene from his injuries. An autopsy will be performed at the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office.
The GBI is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting. Once it’s complete it will be turned over to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney for review.
As they wait for more answers and mourn the loss of the man Lynn calls his favorite uncle, they’re mindful of those on the other side.
“No officer goes to work and thinks they’re going to take somebody’s life. We’re keeping that in mind,” he says. “I can understand what the law enforcement officers are feeling right now because they shot a potentially unarmed man. What if it was his wallet? What if it was his keys? Did they not think before they shot? But, from the other perspective, when you’re life’s in danger there’s a split second when you can ask yourself those questions before you have to take action.”
“We’re not bashing the police. We’re just trying to figure out if could there have been another option.”
This is the 87th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2022.
