An Atlanta man was arrested in connection with the recent fatal shooting of a woman in DeKalb County while he attempted to re-register as a sex offender, officials said.

Hussan Karim Chester, 34, had a warrant out for his arrest at the time he went to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office to re-register Tuesday, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Under Georgia law, sex offenders are required to renew their registrations in person every year, or whenever they change residences, according to the GBI.

Chester is charged with shooting and killing 21-year-old Erica Cruz early Friday morning outside a DeKalb apartment complex. Officials have not released a suspected motive in the killing.

RELATED: Victim ID'd after deadly shooting in parking lot of DeKalb apartments

Officers were called to the Forest Cove apartments on Meadowglen Village Lane outside Doraville about 1:30 a.m. after receiving a 911 call about a person shot, AJC.com reported last week. Cruz was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We responded to the apartment complex tonight in reference to a deceased female found lying in between two cars,” Sgt. Lynn Shuler told Channel 2 Action News from the scene. “She had an apparent gunshot wound to the head.”

Chester was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on a charge of murder.

According to the sex offender registry, Chester was convicted in 2006 of sexual battery on a child in Gwinnett.

Police are working to identify the woman.

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Atlanta police and fire recruits stand in front of the leadership building on the grounds of The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)

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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, accompanied by Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith, provided an update to the press during a media tour at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. They discussed the new Simulation Center, which will enable officers to train for various crime scenarios, including domestic disputes, commercial robberies, and kidnappings. Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
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