BUFORD, Ga. — Gwinnett County police remain tight-lipped about the murder of a 22-year-old man near the Mall of Georgia.
The victim is not believed to have actually lived in the apartment complex where he was killed, but many people who work and live in the area say they recognized him.
Police have spent the last 23 hours trying to find Reginald Bien-Aime's killer.
Store owner Mo Ilyas said Bien-Aime would come in his store about once a week.
Channel 2's Tony Thomas said Ilyas was shaken when he told him Bien-Aime had been killed in a New Year's night shooting at an apartment complex just down the street.
"He was a cool guy," Ilyas said. "He was a good kid. He came and he was trouble free."
Gwinnett County police said Bien-Aime was found slumped over in the driver's seat of a car at the Reserve at Ivy Creek apartments.
Residents said they heard four to six shots near the basketball courts just before the body was discovered.
Residents that Thomas spoke with said Bien-Aime didn't live in the complex but was seen around the area frequently.
After watching crime scene investigators scour their parking lots for hours looking for clues, many residents in the gated community are concerned.
Anett McClure said she broke down when she heard about the shooting.
"I broke down because my kids play at the basketball courts all the time," McClure told Thomas.
Detectives have said very little about the case. We could see them coming and going from the complex.
"Human life should not be that cheap, like, somebody just step in and get killed. It does hurt," Ilyas said.
Friday afternoon Gwinnett detectives refused to discuss details of the case with Thomas, only saying they are following up on leads.
WSBTV
