By Tiffany Flournoy
MINDEN, La. — Nine years after Kendrick Tyrone “Ty” Sumlin was shot and killed in his own yard, the clothes he wore that night remain sealed in an evidence bag inside the Minden Police Department.
The investigation remains active.
No arrest has been made — yet.
Ty was 33 when a single gunshot to the back of his head ended his life on Quarles Street on Sept. 3, 2017.
His girlfriend found him at about 11:30 p.m. The Webster Parish coroner pronounced him dead at the scene. His body was transported to Little Rock for an autopsy, where a medical examiner confirmed the fatal gunshot wound and determined Ty had been shot at close range with a medium-caliber weapon.
A neighbor told investigators she had heard what sounded like gunshots around 9 p.m.
Authorities classified Ty’s death as a homicide.
Ty was not simply a name in a homicide investigation.
He was a son, a father, a brother — and a familiar face to people who knew him in everyday life. He was working at the Burger King on Homer Road, where his smile was familiar to those who saw him behind the counter.
His children have grown up without their father.
His mother, Ruthie Sumlin, has carried the unanswered question of who took her son from her.
Years ago, in an interview about her son’s killing, Ruthie put that question into words:
“Who killed my child? He didn’t deserve this — to be shot dead.”
The investigation was eventually inherited by Lt. Shane Griffith of the Minden Police Department.
But Griffith knew Ty long before he inherited the case.
“Baseball. I coached Ty and his brother over the years. Became close with Ms. Ruthie through that,” Griffith said.
That connection to the Sumlin family never ended with Ty’s death.
Griffith said Ruthie has continued to check in with the department over the years, asking for updates about her son’s case.
For her, the calendar has continued to move forward.
So have Ty’s children.
But the question remains.
“We’re still actively working this case,” Griffith said.
Chief Jared McIver is committed to solving the homicide and providing investigators with the resources they need. Griffith said the case remains a high priority.
“We’re on the clock because his family needs closure,” Griffith said.
There are birthdays Ty never attended. Milestones he never witnessed. Ordinary moments with his children that were taken from him — and from them — the night someone pulled the trigger.
The department still has the clothes Ty wore that night.
They remain sealed in an evidence bag.
The investigation remains active.
Another Labor Day has passed.
Who killed Ty?
Anyone with information regarding the death of Kendrick Tyrone Sumlin is urged to contact the Minden Police Department at 318-371-4226. Callers may remain anonymous.