Man sought in Doraville slaying

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Police are searching for a man who shot and killed a Doraville man during an attempted robbery.

Doraville police released a sketch of the suspect on Thursday.

The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday as four men were walking home on Oakcliff Road, Doraville Police Officer Gene Callaway said.

Police saw Alfredo Lara-Argueta, 36, stumbling and appeared to be intoxicated. But he was walking with his friends and seemed to be OK, so the officer left the group alone, Callaway said.

About 10 minutes later, the officer drove back by the group to check on them. That's when he saw Lara-Argueta laying in the street near the intersection of Winters Chapel Road. The group was shouting for help, Callaway said.

The officer assumed the man had passed out until he drove up and saw the gunshot wound in the chest.

The group told officers a man approached with a gun and demanded cash. The group, who didn't speak English, likely had trouble understanding the gunmen and didn't comply, police said.

"The gunman passed them and turned around," Callaway said.

The suspect shot Lara-Argueta, who was in the back of the group and appeared to be the most intoxicated, police said. The gunman then ran into the nearby woods.

The three other men were not injured and nothing was taken in the robbery.

“He didn’t get any money," Callaway said. "This guy got nothing and still shot him."

Officers did CPR for several minutes before rushing Lara-Argueta to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The shooter is described as a black male with a dark complexion, 5-feet-8-inches tall with a slim build, slight goatee and short mustache. He is between 25 and 30 years old, police said. The suspect was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants and a black and white horizontal-striped shirt.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call police at 770-220-1591.