Gwinnett Daily Post

Staff Photo: Tyler Estep Gwinnett County police crime scene investigators work Friday morning at a home on Kachina Terrace in Dacula, where authorities said a man shot and killed his wife before turning himself in.

DACULA — A Dacula man shot and killed his wife inside their home Friday morning before calling to turn himself in, authorities said, marking the Gwinnett County Police Department’s first homicide in about 10 weeks.

Gwinnett County police responded to 2656 Kachina Terrace in Dacula at about 10:15 a.m. Friday, shortly after Egbert Edward Courtney called 911 to report that he had shot his wife, spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said. Courtney was taken into custody and charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during a crime.

“He was cooperative with the officers as they arrived,” Smith said. “He didn’t cause any trouble.”

Few other details were immediately available Friday as crime scene investigators worked at the two-story, red-brick home nestled inside the Apalachee Heritage subdivision, located off Fence Road near its intersection with Dacula Road.

Authorities were still in the process of notifying next of kin early Friday afternoon, but Smith said both the deceased and the suspect were believed to be in their late 50s or early 60s. Courtney was being held without bond.

Smith said he wasn’t aware of any history of domestic calls at the residence.

The incident was the first homicide of the year in Gwinnett County Police Department jurisdiction, a solid start after 2012 saw the county’s homicide tally rise for the first time in five years. By March 1, 2012, Gwinnett had already seen a startling 12 homicides.

Friday’s homicide was believed to be GCPD’s first since Dec. 19, when 14-year-old Paul Sampleton was robbed and murdered inside his Grayson home.

Overall, the county has now seen three killings in 2013, including: a Snellville police investigation that authorities believe will be ruled self defense; and a Lilburn police case in which a homeowner allegedly shot and killed a man who turned his vehicle around in his driveway.