Dead man found at Buckhead elementary school

The Fulton County medical examiner’s office was trying Tuesday to determine how a homeless man was killed behind E. Rivers Elementary School in Buckhead, his body found just as students were arriving.

Though the specific cause of death has not been reported, Atlanta Police Department officer James Polite said it appeared the man died of “extensive blunt force trauma to the head.”

Phil Skinner / pskinner@ajc.com

Atlanta Police crusier outside Rivers Elementary School on Tuesday morning.

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The man’s death is being treated as a homicide. There is no apparent motive, according to Polite.

The man, believed to be in his 50s, has not been identified but investigators were told he was homeless. Polite said people who live and work in the area said the man spent much of his time in the Peachtree Battle neighborhood.

The man was found around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday, just as the children were arriving for summer classes. The students were diverted so they could not see the crime scene behind the school, Polite said.