All five people hospitalized after the wrong-way crash that killed a DeKalb County police officer are now in stable condition, authorities said late Monday.
Fulton County police believe Officer Kevin Toatley, an eight-year veteran of the DeKalb police department, was en route to his Fairburn home early Saturday when an SUV driving the wrong direction on South Fulton Parkway hit his patrol car head-on. Toatley was pulled from his vehicle and taken by helicopter to Grady Memorial Hospital, but was later pronounced dead.
The five passengers in the alleged wrong-way vehicle — three adults and two juveniles — were also hospitalized. One woman was initially described as being in critical condition.
Fulton County police spokeswoman Cpl. Kay Lester said in an email that investigators hope to speak Tuesday with the SUV’s passengers. No charges have been filed in the crash, and the investigation is ongoing.
Toatley, 35, was hired by the DeKalb County Police Department in January 2007. According to reports, he spent his final day of duty working the scene of the shooting that left a colleague, Officer Marco Vizcarrando, wounded.
Gregory B. Levett and Sons Funeral Home is handling Toatley’s memorial services, which have not yet been scheduled.
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