A Gwinnett County police officer on routine patrol at an apartment complex Tuesday afternoon discovered an apparent homicide victim.

Some residents of the Columns at Paxton Apartments, near Lilburn, reported hearing gunshots just before the 19-year-old man's body was found, Cpl. Jake Smith with Gwinnett police said.

The courtesy officer for the apartments, located in the 4300 block of Paxton Lane, found the victim in a back breezeway at the complex, near Killian Hill Road and U.S. 78, Smith said.

The victim, identified as Angelo Larocca, did not live at the complex, Smith said. Investigators do believe he lived in Gwinnett County.

The investigation is continuing.

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Orange Crush event organizer Steven Smalls looks out at Tybee Island's South Beach, site of the 2025 HBCU spring break festival scheduled for April 19 on Georgia's coast. (Justin Taylor/The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Credit: Justin Taylor for The Atlanta Journal Constitution