Atlanta police Wednesday were investigating a fatal shooting at an apartment building near the Downtown Connector.

The shooting happened before 7 a.m. at the Auburn Place Apartments in the 100 block of Fort Street, just east of I-75/85, according to Atlanta police spokesman Otis Redmond.

Okimi Redding, who identified herself as the girlfriend of the victim, said he was killed by robbers. Redding said she and the 32-year-old victim, identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office as Japhila Thomas, had two children.

"I just know he got killed; they tried to rob him," Redding said. A witness at the scene said the assailants were two teenage males.

Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said late Wednesday morning that the shooting "appears to be drug-related."

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com