FORT PIERCE, FL. (THECOUNT) — Rio Antwan Thomas has been identified as the suspect shot dead in a police-involved shooting in Fort Pierce, Florida Saturday afternoon.
“Awon” Thomas, 27, was fatally shot Saturday just after 1:30 p.m., at Okeechobee Road near Crossroads Pkwy, in Fort Pierce, FL, after an altercation with police involving a vehicle.
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The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit was trying to arrest Thomas, however, he placed the vehicle into reverse and tried to flee the scene, according to deputies. He ended up hitting another car and a deputy who was standing next to the car.
Deputies then drew their service weapons and shot and killed Thomas as he attempted to charge officers in his vehicle, according to officials.
Police later described Thomas as a “major heroin dealer.”
St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara identified 27-year-old Rio Antwan Thomas as the man killed by deputies Saturday. source
Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene of gunshot wounds.
Anyone with possible information on the deadly incident may contact police at 911.
Fort Pierce is a city on the east coast of Florida. The oceanfront National Navy SEAL Museum displays weapons, vehicles and other naval artifacts. Nearby, Fort Pierce Inlet State Park has a long beach, where swimming and surfing are popular. The A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery houses paintings by the 20th-century painter, a Fort Pierce native. Heathcote Botanical Gardens features a large collection of tropical bonsai, according to wikipedia.