Gwinnett County police opened their third homicide investigation in as many days after a man was fatally shot Wednesday night in the parking lot of an apartment complex near Norcross.
The shooting at the Grove at Stonebrook complex comes hours after the discovery of a woman’s body at Yellow River Park and a shootout at a Grayson Kroger on Monday night that killed a 17-year-old.
According to Gwinnett police, officers were called to the apartments on Beaver Ruin Road about 11:15 p.m. They found a man with a gunshot wound in the parking lot and detained another man who was “in possession of a firearm,” police spokesman Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle said in a news release.
Illijah Ayala-Bracken, 28, later died. Detectives arrested 31-year-old Aaron Taylor on murder and aggravated assault charges.
“Ayala-Bracken and Taylor knew each other and were in an altercation in the parking lot that led to Taylor shooting Ayala-Bracken, resulting in Ayala-Bracken’s death,” Winderweedle said.
Investigators worked late into the night collecting evidence at the scene. Earlier Wednesday, investigators were combing Yellow River Park near Stone Mountain for evidence after parkgoers on a morning walk discovered a woman’s body. She had been shot and was lying beneath a tree in a grassy field, according to police.
She was identified as 18-year-old Tori Lang of Lithonia after police released photos of the woman’s tattoos, and her family recognized them. One of the tattoos on her neck read “Faith makes all things possible.”
A motive in the slaying remains unknown, police spokeswoman Officer Hideshi Valle said Thursday.
Monday night’s shooting at the Grayson Commons shopping center was believed to be the result of an argument between two 17-year-old boys. Orbit Pough was killed and Jaiden Williams was shot multiple times when both reached for guns, according to police.
The shooting was reported about 9:30 p.m., when Kroger and several other businesses were open at the busy shopping center along Grayson Highway. No one else was injured by the gunfire, police confirmed.
The Gwinnett agency has investigated a total of six homicides this month, about 20% of the 29 killings reported in the county this year.
Anyone with information about any of the recent homicides is asked to contact Gwinnett police detectives at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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