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Authorities: Woman slain in Dawsonville murder-suicide was a Forsyth County 911 officer
Two dead
Authorities gather outside a home in downtown Dawsonville where two people were found dead on Wednesday. - photo by David Renner

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* See previous article -- Authorities: Woman slain in Dawsonville murder-suicide was a Forsyth County 911 officer.

DAWSONVILLE — The 28-year-old woman killed Wednesday in a murder-suicide at a downtown Dawsonville home has been identified as a communications supervisor with the Forsyth County 911 Center.

Authorities said Thursday that Erin Niccole Jones was shot to death by her live-in boyfriend about 1 p.m. at the couple's home on Maple Hill Drive.

David Geyer II, 43, then reportedly turned the gun on himself a short time later as authorities arrived.

According to Dawson County Sheriff's spokesman Johnny Holtzclaw, Jones was on the phone with emergency dispatch when she was killed.

"The female caller was in distress and reporting that someone had a gun,” Holtzclaw said in a statement. “911 operators were able to hear possible gun shots inside the home.

"Deputies … arrived within one minute of being dispatched. Upon arrival … more gun shots were heard coming from inside the home."

Authorities established a perimeter around the home and shut down Hwy. 9 near Dawson County Middle School. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and Georgia State Patrol were also called to assist.

"The scene was not safe when we arrived. We believed it was a pretty heated situation," Holtzclaw said.

Although Dawson asked for Forsyth’s SWAT and crisis negotiator teams, that request was canceled while they were still en route because the situation had ended, according to Robin Regan, a spokesman for the Forsyth agency.

Dawson County deputies entered the home and found Geyer on the first floor and Jones upstairs.

"We are not prepared to release the location of the fatal injuries or the type of firearm used at this time," Holtzclaw said.

The couple did have small children who lived at the house, but they weren’t home at the time.

The bodies of Jones and Geyer were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for autopsies.

Holtzclaw said investigators are not aware of any earlier reports of domestic violence incidents at the home.

Due to the distressed nature of the caller, the 911 recordings have not been released.

The 911 center is not part of the sheriff’s office. According to Forsyth County’s government, Jones had worked at the center since 2011.

“This is a very difficult time for us, most especially for those who worked alongside her,” said County Manager Doug Derrer. “Counselors have been made available to employees to help them cope with this tragedy. We extend our sincerest condolences to her family and friends.”

Pat Giordano, the director of the 911 center, said the “loss of one of our own is indescribable.”

“Our center staff is truly like a family, and this tragedy has saddened us to the core,” Giordano said. “Erin’s presence in our department will be greatly missed. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers as we struggle with this heartbreaking loss.”

Friends and many of those who worked with Jones at the center have changed their social media profile photos to a thin yellow line in her memory.

Friends said Geyer had worked as a chef for ARAMARK Food Services at the Dahlonega campus of the University of North Georgia since 2007.