A DeKalb County father was tragically killed, allegedly in pursuit of a thief. Sharon Jennings is appealing for answers after her son, Derek Cummings, died just days after welcoming his third child.
The 32-year-old truck driver, who also ran a lawn care service, was working outside a daycare on Columbia Drive on July 18 when, according to his mother, someone pulled up and stole lawn equipment from the back of his vehicle.
He tried to retrieve the stolen object after receiving an alert from a daycare employee. “And when he came up, right, they were pulling up with his phone, and he went behind that,” Jennings told Fox5 Atlanta.
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Cummings then got into his car and pursued the thief’s vehicle until they came to a stop outside DeKalb County Fire Station 7. A few moments later, shots were fired. The suspect then took off in the victim’s pickup, according to the police.
Cummings’ family said they had no idea what had happened to him until they called to check on him. “Grady Hospital picked up and said we needed to get there quick. We knew nothing, absolutely nothing,” Jennings told 11 Alive.
“There was a scene up at the fire station, but we did not know, had no idea that he was involved,” Jennings added.
Cummings was transported to Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta, where he died.
Jennings described her son as a dedicated parent who wanted nothing more than to provide for his family.
“My son—my baby, my heart—was taken from me in the most senseless, heartbreaking way. His partner and his newborn son, with two other children, his life was stolen by thieves trying to take his lawn equipment while he was out doing honest work—cutting someone’s yard to provide for his family,” Jennings explained.
“He did not deserve this,” the grieving mother added.
Jennings stated her son had recently become a father for the third time. His youngest child, a boy, was born only one week before the shooting.
“Trying to make a living, had his life together, he was trying to make it,” Jennings said. “Y’all took his life over some lawn equipment,” she said. “They did not have to do that, period.”
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Cummings is survived by his fiancée Jennifer Leriche and three children.
“His kids loved him. He loved his kids,” Leriche told Fox5 Atlanta. “They took him too early. He was a good person. Good person. Can’t nobody say nothing bad about him.”
DeKalb County Police have yet to share any new details or identify a suspect. The family hopes that someone will step forward to help bring closure and justice.
Cummings’ mother said, “Whoever did it is still out there. And I want to say to them, y’all don’t know what y’all have done. Y’all don’t know what y’all took from us. That man was everything to us.”
Since Cummings had no life insurance, the family has launched an online campaign to assist with the burial costs.
