After erratic behavior, man shot to death at DeKalb hotel
Police say a man was shot to death early Sunday in a hotel near The Mall at Stonecrest, hours after he was seen behaving erratically at the hotel’s pool.
The shooting occurred about 3 a.m. on the top floor of the five-story Hyatt Place Atlanta-East/Lithonia, according to DeKalb County police. The man apparently was staying at the hotel, although some witnesses described him as homeless.
One man was taken into custody, according to Channel 2 Action News, but police have not said whether he has been charged in the shooting.
A hotel guest, Wesley Cooley, told Channel 2 his family had seen the man walking on nearby Interstate 20 on Saturday — and again at the hotel pool.
“My daughter and her kids were in the swimming pool and my son said, ‘There’s a man out there jumping in the swimming pool with all his clothes on,’” Cooley said.
A hotel representative declined to comment.
About the Author
Alan Judd is a former investigative reporter for the AJC. He has written about persistently dangerous apartment complexes in metro Atlanta, juvenile justice, child welfare, sexual abuse by physicians, patient deaths in state psychiatric hospitals, and other topics.
