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Accused Gwinnett deputy killer in court; friends express shock
Eric Sumner, a convicted felon, is facing several charges including murder after investigators say he shot and killed Master Deputy Tamara Tuitt-Bartlett. Because of the murder charge, the magistrate judge was not able to set bond during Tuesday's hearing. Two of Tuitt-Bartlett’s friends, Marcus Carter and Lina Summerset, were in the courtroom. Both exclusively told FOX 5 they were still in shock.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - The 43-year-old man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend, a longtime Gwinnett County deputy, made his first court appearance Tuesday in Forsyth County.
What we know:
Eric Sumner, a convicted felon, is facing several charges including murder after investigators say he shot and killed Master Deputy Tamara Tuitt-Bartlett during a domestic dispute over the weekend. Her teenage son was also shot multiple times but survived, reportedly with the help of a neighbor.
Sumner appeared before a Forsyth County magistrate judge Tuesday morning, three days after the deadly incident at a townhome on McGinnis Ferry Road.
Because of the murder charge, the magistrate judge was not able to set bond during Tuesday's hearing. That decision will have to wait for a different judge to take up the issue.
Accused deputy killer in court.
Court records previously obtained by FOX 5 show that Tuitt-Bartlett and Sumner had been in an on-again, off-again relationship for years. In one filing, she claimed he acted aggressively toward her and her son. In April, she filed for a temporary protective order but asked a judge to dismiss it a month later.
One major question still unanswered is how Sumner was able to obtain a firearm, as he was a convicted felon and legally prohibited from possessing one.
What they're saying:
Two of Tuitt-Bartlett’s friends, Marcus Carter and Lina Summerset, were in the courtroom. Both exclusively told FOX 5 they were still in shock.
"It's just hard to believe, man. I just never thought that he would do something like this. And, I mean, it's sad. I feel for the family," Carter said.
"She really cared for him, loved him. Very supportive," Summerset said. "And it's interesting, even when family would talk to her about certain situations or things in the relationship, she was very much supportive of him and her relationship with him."
Summerset remembered Tuitt-Bartlett as a loving and selfless person.
"She would give anything to help someone. And I believe that's why this unfortunately happened. She was just a giving person. Very loving person," she said.
The Source: Information in this article came from a FOX 5 crew attending the court hearing and speaking with the friends in the courtoom.