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Uproar over murder at luxury apartments in EAV puts police, landlords under scrutiny

Crime and public safety Metro ATL slideshow

Uproar over murder at luxury apartments in EAV puts police, landlords under scrutiny

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Photo obtained via Facebook

Photo obtained via Facebook

The owners of a luxury apartment complex in East Atlanta Village and the Police Department are under scrutiny amid an uproar over an Oct. 31 murder.

Alex Newton returned to his apartment at the Alexan EAV in Atlanta on his lunch break on Oct. 31 and stumbled onto a burglary, according to Prettysouthern.com. He was shot to death and the suspect is at large.

Here’s a security video of a person believed to be the suspect in this case:

There is a vigil planned in Newton’s honor on Nov. 10.

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Residents of the apartment complex on Metropolitan Avenue are livid about the incident. They told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that prior to the murder there were a string of incidents involving break-ins and suspicious people around the complex. Management, residents said, has been largely indifferent to their concerns.

Councilperson Natalyn Archibong called an emergency public safety meeting on Nov. 1 to discuss the incident.

The Police Department a released a statement regarding the incident.

“Prior to this incident, Zone 6 met with management and made some security recommendations,” Atlanta Police said. “Residents also shared their requests for security enhancements as well. The beat officers we have assigned to this area patrol the floors of the Alexan EAV on foot, generally twice during his shift.”

Here is the full statement from the Atlanta Police Department:

The recent homicide at the Alexan EAV was tragic and unwarranted. East Atlanta has experienced an 8.5 percent reduction in crime YTD from 2015. Also compared to 2015, Zone 6 in its entirety has experienced a 10 percent YTD reduction in part 1 crime overall. This is the 6th homicide for Zone 6 in 2016. Zone 6 has experienced a consistent trend of crime reductions and currently has the lowest number of reported crimes in the City of Atlanta.

The Atlanta Police Homicide Unit as with every case is working diligently to bring this to a successful resolution. We are hopeful that we will receive Crime Stoppers-Atlanta tips based on the information released thus far. All of us realize how a tragic crime such as this affects the community. We assure you that we have and will continue to utilize every one of our resources to create a safe environment for our citizens.

Prior to this incident, Zone 6 met with management and made some security recommendations. Residents also shared their requests for security enhancements as well. The beat officers we have assigned to this area patrol the floors of the Alexan @ EAV on foot, generally twice during his shift. It should be noted that prior to yesterday, there were only two days of activity on the property that accounted for five burglaries (2 on 9/19/16 and 3 on 10/25/16).

While we cannot guarantee that people won’t commit crimes, we can guarantee that we will do everything we can to bring those who commit crimes to justice. We will continue reaching out to our residents, property owners and businesses to work in partnership to find solutions for deterring incidents from happening in our community.

As always, the mission of the Atlanta Police Department is to create a safer Atlanta by reducing crime, ensuring the safety of our citizens and building trust in partnership with our community.

The person in the attached photo is now a suspect in this case.

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