Man wielding replica gun dead after being shot by deputies in Habersham County, GBI says

HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. — A man with a replica gun was shot and killed in north Georgia on Monday night, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed.

GBI officials say Habersham County deputies were called to a home in Mt. Airy just before 8:45 p.m.

A 911 caller said someone at the home had a gun before the call was disconnected.

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When deputies arrived, deputies were not able to speak with anyone at the house.

Eventually, the door opened and a man with a gun confronted deputies. The deputies opened fire and shot the man, who was later identified as 39-year-old Anthony Maurice Tollison.

Tollison died from his injuries.

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Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach went to the neighborhood where neighbors told him they heard three gunshots before blue lights filled the street.

They say Tollison was a veteran who previously served the country, but that he suffered from alcohol and mental health problems.

Family members who Gehlbach spoke with declined to comment publicly.

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Investigators later learned that the gun Tollison had when he opened the door was not real, but was a replica made to look like a real weapon.

Tollison’s body will be sent off for an autopsy at the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office.

No deputies were injured during the incident.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation that will be turned over to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney for review to determine if deadly force was justified. This is the 87th officer involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2022.

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Suspect dead after being shot by Walton County deputy, GBI says The GBI says deputies were called to the house twice on Monday morning.

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