Neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots as investigators examined what happened inside a Pepperdine Drive home early Friday.
DECATUR, Ga. — New details are emerging about an early-morning shooting at a DeKalb County home where police say a 65-year-old father was killed and his adult son was arrested, while investigators have yet to say what may have led to the violence.
The shooting was reported about 5:11 a.m. Friday in the 4000 block of Pepperdine Drive in the Decatur area. DeKalb County police said responding officers found Jerome Wyatt, 65, dead from his injuries. Investigators later arrested Wyatt’s 25-year-old son, Eshaun Suggs.
The case initially unfolded as a death investigation, with officers and crime scene personnel gathering evidence around the home before police publicly confirmed that Wyatt had been shot. By Friday afternoon, authorities had identified Wyatt and announced Suggs’ arrest, shifting attention toward what happened before officers arrived.
Reporting released later Friday provided an account of events inside the home. WSB-TV reported that investigators said Wyatt was shot several times. The station also reported that Suggs told investigators he did not remember pulling the trigger. Suggs’ mother told investigators that her son entered her room and shot Wyatt several times, according to the report.
Those details represent statements gathered during the investigation and do not establish guilt. Police have not publicly released a full account of the events leading up to the shooting, and authorities have not announced a motive. It also remains unclear whether investigators believe an argument or another event preceded the gunfire.
The sound of the shooting drew attention from neighbors in the normally residential area. WSB-TV reported that neighbors described hearing at least six shots. One resident interviewed by the station expressed concern about violence happening so close to home, while another said the incident made him think differently about what can occur in a neighborhood.
The house is located off Flat Shoals Parkway and near Chapel Hill Elementary School. The shooting occurred hours before the school day, and available police and news reports did not indicate that the school or its students were involved. Investigators focused their work on the residence and surrounding property.
Police initially said Suggs was taken to the DeKalb County Jail and faced murder and family violence battery charges. A later WSB-TV report listed malice murder and gun possession among the allegations against him. The publicly available reports reviewed Saturday did not explain the difference between the charge descriptions, so the precise current booking allegations remain subject to official court and jail records.
Investigators have not disclosed whether police had previously responded to problems at the residence or what physical evidence was recovered during the crime scene examination. No additional suspect had been publicly identified in the reports reviewed, and police continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding Wyatt’s death.
Suggs remains accused and has not been convicted. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive, and the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing as detectives work to establish a fuller timeline of what happened inside the Pepperdine Drive home.
Author note: Last updated August 15, 2026.