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Background: News footage of the home where Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Deputy Tamara Bartlett was killed (WSB). Inset (left): Tamara Bartlett (Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office). Inset (right): Eric Sumner (Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office).
A Georgia woman who served as a sheriff’s deputy in Gwinnett County was identified as the victim of a fatal shooting, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend.
Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Deputy Tamara Tuitt-Bartlett was off-duty on Saturday when she was allegedly gunned down by her boyfriend, 43-year-old Eric Sumner. According to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a 911 call from one of Bartlett’s neighbors, who told dispatchers that Bartlett’s teenage son was “at her front door and was bleeding.” While the neighbor applied pressure to his gunshot wounds, the boy reportedly said that his mother was having an argument with Sumner, who was “shooting a gun.”
When police arrived at Bartlett’s home, they found her in her bedroom. She was declared dead at the scene. Sumner had already fled in his vehicle, but was ultimately apprehended by police in Monroe County, where he was taken into custody. He was later extradited to Forsyth County, where he is now being held without bond.
The boy was transported to a hospital, where he is in stable condition, according to reporting from local ABC affiliate WSB.
After her family was notified, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office posted a remembrance of their fallen deputy on their Facebook page, saying, “Master Deputy Tuitt-Bartlett served our community for nearly 20 years with unwavering dedication, compassion, and integrity, truly embodying the core values of the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office. Her commitment to protecting and serving made a lasting impact on all who had the honor of knowing and working alongside her.”
According to court records, Bartlett filed for a protective order against Sumner in April. The case was eventually dismissed.
Sumner was charged with murder of a family member with a gun and two counts of aggravated assault with a gun. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.