Off-duty Gwinnett deputy killed, teen son injured in Forsyth County shooting
An off-duty Gwinnett County sheriff’s deputy was killed and her teenage son was injured in a domestic-related shooting at a Forsyth County home over the weekend, authorities said Sunday.
The teenager was bleeding and suffering from several gunshot wounds Saturday when he escaped the home and showed up around 7:45 p.m. at a neighbor’s residence in the Villages at Shakerag subdivision, according to Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Stacie Miller.
“The juvenile explained that his mother and her boyfriend were arguing, and the boyfriend was shooting a gun,” Miller said in a statement. “The quick-thinking neighbor applied pressure to the teenager’s wounds until emergency personnel arrived.”
The teenager was taken to a hospital, where he is said to be stable, authorities said.
Deputies then arrived at the home where the shooting happened but were unable to get a response from anyone inside, according to the sheriff’s office.
After entering the residence, deputies found the off-duty Gwinnett sheriff’s deputy dead in an upstairs bedroom, Miller said. Her name has not been released as her family, including members of the sheriff’s office, had yet to be notified.
Investigators identified the suspect as 43-year-old Eric Sumner, who Miller said left the scene in a vehicle before deputies arrived. Sumner was later found to be traveling south on I-75. He was taken into custody by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office following a brief chase, Miller said.
Sumner is being held by the Monroe sheriff’s office “until he can be transported” back to Forsyth County, where he will face charges that include murder and two counts of aggravated assault with intent to murder, Miller said. Additional charges are pending.
Miller said the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office “extends its deepest condolences to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office for the loss of one of their own.”
“The loss of life to violence is senseless, but the loss of a law enforcement officer should hit home to every one of us in a community,” Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman said in a statement. “I would like to personally thank the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for their quick response in capturing this dangerous suspect.”
