The suspect shot by a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office deputy after an early-morning vehicle chase through northeast Forsyth County has died, authorities say.
According to Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. Doug Rainwater, the suspect, Anthony Viadero, 31, was pronounced dead after receiving emergency treatment at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville on Friday morning.
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In a news release, Rainwater said that the shooting occurred at about 4:07 a.m. after deputies responded to a 911 call to investigate a report of aggravated stalking at a northeast Forsyth County residence. A female had called at approximately 3:20 a.m. and reported that her ex-husband, Viadero, was at her home in violation of a temporary protective order.
Viadero reportedly fled from deputies in a vehicle, leading them on a chase which ended on Browns Bridge Road near the Six-Mile Bridge after deputies deployed a “tire deflation device” onto the road.
According to Rainwater, Viadero exited his vehicle with a handgun. Viadero advanced on an officer directly behind him with his gun drawn, despite verbal commands, and was shot one time by a Forsyth County deputy, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which was requested to investigate the shooting by Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman.
The GBI later said Viadero had a black BB gun with a laser sight.
“Deputies rendered first aid and the suspect was taken to Northeast [Georgia] Medical Center for treatment,” Rainwater said.
GBI Spokeswoman
Nelly Miles said this is the 70th officer-involved shooting that the GBI has been
requested to investigate in 2019.
The deputy that was involved in the shooting, a 32-year-old man that has been employed as a deputy for over four years, has been placed on administrative leave as is required by sheriff’s office policy, Rainwater said.
An investigation into this incident is ongoing.
Online editor Jim Dean and editor Brian Paglia contributed to this report.