An officer-involved shooting in Lithonia, Georgia has come under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) following a stand-off that resulted in the death of Jared Toombs, a 49-year-old Lithonia resident. According to the GBI's press release, Toombs was fatally shot after deputies from the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office (DKSO) were serving an eviction order on Young Road on the morning of January 21.
The sequence of events began when Toombs, after being confronted by the deputies with an eviction notice, brandished a gun then quickly shut the door on the officers; the deputies, who were unharmed, subsequently tried to engage with him to secure a peaceful surrender. As tensions escalated, Toombs fired at the deputies during their attempt to carry out the eviction order, followed later when an arrest warrant, and then a search warrant, was issued for both Toombs and his home leading to the intervention of the DeKalb County Police Department (DKPD) SWAT team. The DKPD SWAT, unable to coax Toombs into surrendering, resorted to deploying tear gas to induce his compliance, however, their efforts did not yield the desired result.
Throughout the overnight negotiations and continued use of tear gas, there was no breakthrough with Toombs, who refused to give up. Finally, once law enforcement entered the premises the following day, a confrontation ensued when Toombs reached for a weapon, prompting the deputies to open fire. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation notes that "Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for review" indicating the ongoing process to establish the specifics of the incident. Toombs received medical attention but was ultimately pronounced dead at Grady Hospital.
