A suspect in a deadly fire at a DeKalb County apartment complex was tracked to Alabama and arrested, police confirmed Tuesday.
Shawn Fails, 44, was taken into custody within hours of allegedly setting fire to a Stonecrest apartment on Labor Day, officials said. Stephanie Wiley, 48, died in the blaze. Police said Fails was her ex-boyfriend.
When DeKalb fire crews arrived at The Hills at Fairington complex on Fairington Road shortly after 1 a.m. Monday, heavy flames were already coming from a second-story unit, officials said. The fire had grown so large that multiple residents were jumping to safety.
Wiley was rescued from her second-floor apartment and rushed to a hospital with “significant burns and smoke inhalation,” according to DeKalb fire officials, but she did not survive.
A man was also hospitalized after suffering a serious injury when jumping from an upstairs window. An update on his condition was not provided Tuesday.
Fails was arrested Monday during a traffic stop in Lanett, Alabama, police said. That is nearly 100 miles from Stonecrest. He will be extradited to the DeKalb jail, where he will face charges of murder, aggravated assault and arson, authorities said.
No other details have been released by officials.
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