Derek Cummings was 32 and a resident of Decatur, Georgia when he was fatally shot on Friday afternoon, July 18, 2025. A truck driver and owner-operator of a lawn care business, he had been working at a daycare on Columbia Drive when, according to his family, someone drove up and stole equipment from the back of his truck. Cummings pursued the suspected thief; the chase ended near DeKalb County Fire Station 7, where shots were fired and he was critically wounded. The suspect reportedly fled in Cummings’ truck.

Cummings was taken to Grady Hospital in Atlanta and later died of his injuries. His family described him as a hardworking father of three, including a newborn son, and said he had no life insurance; they launched an online fundraiser to help with funeral costs and support his partner and children. The DeKalb County Police Department opened a homicide investigation; as of late July 2025 no arrests had been announced and no suspect description had been released.

Does anyone who was in the Columbia Drive or Fire Station 7 area on July 18 remember seeing a pickup truck leave that could help investigators?