Georgia · DeKalb County · Crime & Courts
Pepperdine Drive Shooting, Decatur GA: Jerome Wyatt, 65, Killed; Son Eshaun Suggs, 25, Charged With Murder
DeKalb County officers were sent to a home off Flat Shoals Parkway before dawn Friday and found a man shot to death in the driveway. By late morning, police said the man's son was under arrest. Eshaun Suggs is charged, not convicted.
Key facts
- What
- A man was found shot to death outside a home before dawn. His son was arrested by midday
- Where
- 4000 block of Pepperdine Drive, unincorporated Decatur, DeKalb County — off Flat Shoals Parkway, near Chapel Hill Elementary School
- When
- Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 — officers responded about 5:11 a.m.
- Killed
- Jerome Wyatt, 65
- Charged
- Eshaun Suggs, 25, identified by police as Wyatt's son
- Charges
- Murder and family violence battery
- Held
- DeKalb County Jail
- Investigating
- DeKalb County Police Department
- Motive
- None released by police
- Presumption
- Suggs is charged, not convicted. Nothing in this case has been proven in court
What happened on Pepperdine Drive?
A 65-year-old man was shot to death outside a home in unincorporated Decatur early Friday, and DeKalb County police have charged his son in the killing.
Officers were sent to the 4000 block of Pepperdine Drive at about 5:11 a.m. after a call about someone being shot, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
They found a man dead in the driveway. Police identified him as Jerome Wyatt, 65, and later confirmed he had been shot, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
By late morning, investigators had arrested Wyatt's son and charged him with murder, Atlanta News First reported.
Eshaun Suggs has been charged. He has not been convicted of anything, and no court has yet heard this case.
Who was killed?
The man who died was Jerome Wyatt, 65. DeKalb County police identified him, according to FOX 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV.
Who has been charged, and with what?
Eshaun Suggs, 25, was arrested and booked into the DeKalb County Jail, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Police identified him as Wyatt's son.
Police said Suggs is charged with murder and family violence battery, FOX 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV reported. CBS Atlanta carried the same two charges. Atlanta News First, in a report it labeled developing, listed a murder charge.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that a first appearance is set for Saturday.
CBS Atlanta reported that investigators believe Suggs shot his father,.
A charge is an accusation. It is not a finding of guilt, and none of it has been tested in court.
Where exactly did the shooting happen?
Atlanta News First put the shooting in the 4000 block of Pepperdine Drive, in an unincorporated part of Decatur.
WSB-TV reported that the street runs off Flat Shoals Parkway, near Chapel Hill Elementary School. Atlanta News First also placed the address close to that school. No street number has been released.
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What have police said about a motive?
DeKalb County police have not released what they believe led to the shooting, CBS Atlanta reported.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that police did not offer a possible motive and did not say whether officers had been called to the address before Friday.
Which agency is investigating?
The DeKalb County Police Department is the lead agency. It identified the man who died, made the arrest and named the charges.
Suggs is being held at the DeKalb County Jail, which is run by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office.
What we don't know yet
- What police believe led to the shooting. DeKalb County police have not said.
- Who called 911, and whether anyone else was at the house.
- Where and how Suggs was taken into custody.
- Whether Suggs has a lawyer.
- Whether the case has gone before a grand jury.
- The DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office finding on cause and manner of death.
- Whether officers had been called to the address before Friday. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that police did not say.
- Whether any further charges are expected.
Which offices hold the records in this case?
The DeKalb County Police Department holds the incident and arrest reports. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office runs the jail and holds the booking record.
The DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office determines cause and manner of death. The district attorney decides whether to seek an indictment and prosecutes the case in court.
Requests under the Georgia Open Records Act go to the agency that created the record. Records tied to an open investigation are commonly withheld until the case closes.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on Pepperdine Drive in Decatur, Georgia?
DeKalb County officers were sent to the 4000 block of Pepperdine Drive at about 5:11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, on a report of a person shot. They found 65-year-old Jerome Wyatt dead. Police later arrested his son and charged him with murder.
Who was killed in the DeKalb County shooting?
Jerome Wyatt, 65. DeKalb County police identified him, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
Who has been charged?
Eshaun Suggs, 25, identified by DeKalb County police as Wyatt's son. He was taken to the DeKalb County Jail.
What is Eshaun Suggs charged with?
Murder and family violence battery, according to FOX 5 Atlanta, WSB-TV and CBS Atlanta.
Has Eshaun Suggs been convicted of anything?
No. He has been charged, which is an accusation and not a finding of guilt. He is presumed innocent unless a court proves otherwise, and no court has heard this case.
What was the motive?
DeKalb County police have not released what they believe led to the shooting, CBS Atlanta reported. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that police did not offer a possible motive.
Where is Pepperdine Drive?
In an unincorporated part of Decatur, in DeKalb County. WSB-TV reported that the street sits off Flat Shoals Parkway, near Chapel Hill Elementary School.
Which agency is investigating?
The DeKalb County Police Department. It identified the man who died, made the arrest and named the charges.
Where is Eshaun Suggs being held?
The DeKalb County Jail, according to FOX 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV.
How do I get the incident report?
The DeKalb County Police Department holds it. Requests under the Georgia Open Records Act go to the agency that created the record. Records tied to an open investigation are commonly withheld until the case closes.
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from named news outlets and DeKalb County Police Department statements, each linked above. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. Anyone named in connection with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
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