A man Atlanta police had been looking for since Tuesday was found dead Friday morning with multiple gunshot wounds outside the Mall at Stonecrest in DeKalb County, police said.
Atlanta police had issued a missing person alert for 27-year-old Sergio Ulysses Collins earlier this week and said they had reason to believe he was in danger.
They had asked the public to help them find Collins and his white 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix.
A DeKalb police officer found both about 4:30 a.m. while on routine patrol near a DSW Shoe Warehouse in the 8100 block of Mall Parkway, according to authorities.
“He approached the vehicle,” police Sgt. Steven Dean said. “He noticed that there was a subject in the front seat unconscious.”
The officer tried to help Collins but soon realized he was already dead, Dean said.
It’s unclear how Collins ended up at the mall, but Atlanta police believe he was shot inside the car.
“This was not a random act of violence,” Capt. Reginald Moorman said Friday at a news conference. “This is someone who this person was with.”
Collins was last believed to be in the area of Spencer Street on Saturday, according to police. But Moorman said there was no crime scene in northwest Atlanta.
“The information that we are working with,” Moorman said, ‘is that there is one suspect.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or visit crimestoppersatlanta.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000.
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