DAWSONVILLE - The victim in Wednesday's murder-suicide has been identified as a Forsyth County 911 communication officer.
Authorities said Erin Niccole Jones, 28, was shot to death by her live-in boyfriend just after 1 p.m. at the couple's home on Maple Hill Drive in downtown Dawsonville.
David Geyer II, 43, then turned the gun on himself as officers arrived on the scene a short time later.
It is believed that Jones was on the phone with emergency dispatch when she was shot and killed.
"The female caller was in distress and reporting that someone had a gun. 911 operators were able to hear possible gun shots inside the home," Dawson County Sheriff's spokesman Johnny Holtzclaw said in a release distributed Thursday morning.
"Deputies responded to the scene and arrived within one minute of being dispatched. Upon arrival of deputies, more gun shots were heard coming from inside the home."
Deputies established a perimeter around the residence and shut down Hwy. 9 near Dawson County Middle School.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and Georgia State Patrol were also called in for assistance.
"We first thought we were going to have a hostage situation, so we went ahead and contacted Forsyth County and asked them to be in route with their SWAT team," said Dawson County Sheriff Billy Carlisle. "Then we found out that there may be kids in the house, and our officers said we can't wait on a SWAT team because the way she sounded on the telephone and shots being fired.
"We had to make sure those kids were not going to be hurt. That's when we made the decision to bust the front door and went in."
Dawson County deputies entered the home and found Geyer on the first floor and Jones on the second floor.
"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 that lived at the house, but they were not home at the time of the shootings.
The bodies of the victim and the shooter 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 distress nature of the caller, the 911 recordings were not disclosed to the media or public.
Colleagues that worked with Jones at the Forsyth County 911 call center, where she was a supervisor, and friends immediately began changing their social media profile photos to a thin yellow line yesterday in her memory.
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.”
Carlisle said his 911 officers that worked the call were given the rest of the afternoon off.
"I think it hit them pretty hard, because they knew the lady as someone that was doing the same job they were doing. It upset them, but yet they were still able to hold their composure and get everybody dispatched that they needed to," he said. "Our chaplain came up and talked to them to give them time to express their feelings and calm down.
The trio was back to work Thursday morning.
"I checked on them all first thing and they all said they were fine," Carlisle said.
Friends said Geyer had been working as a chef for Aramark Food Services at the University of North Georgia Dahlonega campus since 2007.
DCN regional staff contributed to this story.
Check back to dawsonnews.com for updates to this story.