Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Investigates Domestic-Related Homicide

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Forsyth County deputies are investigating a deadly domestic incident that claimed the life of an off-duty law enforcement officer and left a teenager injured Saturday night in the Villages at Shakerag subdivision.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said the incident began around 7:49 p.m. on September 27, when a juvenile appeared at a neighbor’s door bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. The teen told the neighbor his mother and her boyfriend had been arguing when the man opened fire. The neighbor immediately applied pressure to the boy’s wounds until emergency personnel arrived. The teen was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Deputies who responded to the home found the boy’s mother—later identified as an off-duty Gwinnett County Sheriff’s deputy—dead in an upstairs bedroom. Authorities said the suspect, 43-year-old Eric Sumner of Suwanee, had already fled the scene.

Investigators quickly tracked Sumner traveling southbound on I-75 and coordinated with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which located his vehicle. After a short pursuit, deputies arrested Sumner, who is currently being held in Monroe County before being transferred back to Forsyth County. He faces charges of murder and two counts of aggravated assault with intent to murder, with additional charges possible.

The names of the victims are being withheld until family notifications are complete. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation.

Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman called the killing of a fellow officer a tragedy that resonates deeply within the community.

“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,” Freeman said. “I would like to personally thank the Monroe County Georgia Sheriff’s Office for their quick response in capturing this dangerous suspect.”

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office also extended condolences to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, which is mourning the loss of one of its deputies.