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A father of one was shot and killed by police officers outside of Atlanta when they tried to serve him an arrest warrant.

Nicholas Taft Thomas, 25, was at his job at the Goodyear store when a total of six officers from Smyrna and Cobb County approached him to serve a felony arrest warrant. Witnesses claim Thomas hopped into a customer’s Maserati and tried to drive away. As police surrounded the vehicle, Thomas was instructed to step out of the car. It was then that Thomas put the car in reverse and police fired their weapons, fatally shooting him. According to the AJC:

“The cop yelled, and he said, ‘get out the car, get out the car now,’ and he just drove off. Then, he put it in reverse, there was nothing the cop could do from there,” said witness Ryan Rose. So, I guess he— the cop shot at the car.”

The Cobb County officers have insisted they didn’t fire the rounds, but Smyrna Police Sgt. Ed Cason defended the officers that did pull the trigger, claiming they were scared for their lives.

“The suspect drove his car toward officers, putting officers in fear for their lives, at which time the officers fired into the vehicle, shooting the suspect,” he said.

Other witnesses think the officers drawing their weapons was unnecessary. The victim’s family members arrived on the scene shortly afterward.

“My son was a lovable guy,” Thomas’ mother said. “He would do anything for anybody. He just had a baby.”

Thomas reportedly had a few issues with police officers in the past. In 2013, he was pulled over by a Kennesaw State University officer for speeding and allegedly drove towards the law enforcement official to escape.

SOURCE: AJC | VIDEO CREDIT: News Inc. 

Man Killed By Georgia Police In Maserati Identified As New Father Nicholas Taft Thomas  was originally published on newsone.com