On the evening of October 9, 2024, Jason Alexander Sumner, a 29-year-old male, was found fatally wounded outside a residence in Lacombe, Louisiana. Shortly before 10 p.m., deputies from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the 26000 block of East Jackson Street following reports of a possible shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Sumner near the porch of the home, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
Despite attempts to render life-saving aid, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The investigation into the death of Sumner, a native of Georgia who had built a life in Louisiana as a chef and a father to five children, was swiftly undertaken by the St. Tammany Parish Major Crimes Unit. Their work led them to a suspect within a week of the incident. On October 15, 2024, detectives arrested 17-year-old Caleb Gasery of Lacombe in connection with the killing. Gasery was subsequently booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center on one count of second-degree murder.
The legal process moved forward in the following months. On January 30, 2025, a St. Tammany Parish grand jury indicted Caleb Gasery, who had since turned 18, for the second-degree murder of Jason Sumner. The case was then set to proceed through the judicial system, with the indictment marking a significant step in seeking resolution for the Sumner family and the Lacombe community.
