On December 12, 2025, a quiet residential community in Stone Mountain, Georgia, became the scene of a heartbreaking tragedy that claimed the lives of an African American mother and her young child. Connie Jackson, a 34-year-old woman remembered for her bubbly personality and infectious laugh, was found deceased inside her townhome on Chatfield Drive.
Officers from the DeKalb County Police Department were dispatched to the residence in the early morning hours, around 1:15 a.m., responding to reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered a chaotic and devastating scene that initially confused investigators, who first suspected a murder-suicide before evidence pointed them toward a far darker reality.
Inside the home, police found Connie and her 11-year-old daughter, Arielle Davis, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds. Amidst the violence, a glimmer of hope remained as officers discovered Connie's six-month-old son, Tristan, physically unharmed in his crib. The infant was the only person in the house to escape the incident without injury. Also present at the scene was Connie's boyfriend, 41-year-old Roland Sukoo, who was found suffering from serious gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital for urgent medical treatment, where he remained under police guard.
In the days leading up to the shooting, family members reported that the relationship between Connie and Sukoo had been deteriorating. Connie's mother later recounted a chilling phone call she received from her daughter just minutes before the tragedy unfolded. During the call, Connie reportedly told her mother that she had packed her bags, was "tired," and was finally ready to leave the relationship. The call abruptly ended, and subsequent attempts to reach her went unanswered. This timeline became a crucial piece of the investigation, helping detectives reframe the narrative from a potential domestic dispute turned suicide into a double homicide.
Following a diligent investigation, authorities determined that Sukoo was responsible for the deaths. While still hospitalized and recovering from his injuries, Roland Sukoo was formally arrested and charged with two counts of malice murder for the killings of Connie Jackson and Arielle Davis. Police confirmed that once he was medically cleared for release, he would be transferred directly to the DeKalb County Jail to await trial. The surviving infant was placed into the care of his grandmother, who was left to mourn the sudden loss of her daughter and granddaughter while raising the child who survived the night.
