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UPDATE: DeKalb County Police investigate June 4 murder at Orchard Circle as possible hate crime

Crime and public safety Metro ATL

UPDATE: DeKalb County Police investigate June 4 murder at Orchard Circle as possible hate crime

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DeKalb County Police are providing few details about a June 4 murder that occurred at 3444 Orchard Circle.

But the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the murder is being investigated as  “hate motivated” crime.

Police responded to a call about a person shot around 8:25 a.m.

“At the location the officers located the victim in the roadway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds,” a spokesperson for the Police Department said. “The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. No suspects in custody and the investigation is ongoing.”

The victim has been identified as Ronald Peters.

Police have declined to provide a possible motive, but CBS 46 is reporting that the suspects yelled homophobic slurs at the victim.

According to CBS, “He was walking home from a nearby MARTA station when two young men drove up demanding he give them his backpack, according to witnesses. Witnesses told CBS46 that the two men yelled expletives and homophobic slurs at Peters.”

CBS says the suspects were driving “a burgundy Chevy Silverado with dark windows and a dealership car tag. They both had on face masks during the shooting.”

To read the full story, click here.

Project Q Atlanta reports, “The suspects had been targeting and harassing Peters because he was gay, according to neighbor Tracy Levine.”

To read the story on Project Q, click here.

But the spokesperson for the Police Department declined to say whether the case is being investigated as a hate crime.

“The detectives are investigating the homicide,” he said. “Detectives are aware of the witness statements and are working to identify those involved in this incident.”

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