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Man found shot to death in ditch at metro Atlanta park

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police are investigating after a landscaper found a body in a ditch at a Gwinnett County park Monday morning.

The middle-aged white man was found with what appeared to be a gunshot wound near baseball fields at Pinckneyville Park off South Old Peachtree Road, Gwinnett County police said.

A backpack and firearm were located near the body. Later in the day, police hauled a maroon pickup truck away from the area.

Police say the homicide unit is investigating because of suspicious circumstances.

People who visit the park were surprised by the news.

"This park is a nice place for families to come to. My family was just here Sunday and I'm planning my son's birthday here," park-goer Kristy Edmondson said.

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Edmondson said she heard choppers flying over the park around 10 a.m. Monday.

"I was trying to figure out what was going on in the area," she said. "When I came to check on the space, they told me it was closed for police activity so I didn't know what was going on."

Police say the body is now with the medical examiner, who will determine cause of death. Meanwhile, police are conducting interviews, trying to figure out what happened.

"Kin, family members, friends, anybody who can help us build any kind of profile into what was going on in his life. As far as witnesses here, we don't have anything. But if anybody did see anything, we would ask them to come forward and give us a call," a police spokesman said.