A 20-year-old man was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of Lakeview Apartment Homes in unincorporated Stone Mountain on Thursday, and hours later the complex's clubhouse burned to the ground overnight. DeKalb County police have not identified any suspects in the shooting, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.
DeKalb County police found the man dead in the parking lot of the complex off North Hairston Road on Thursday, according to Atlanta News First. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as 20-year-old Patrick Whyte. His death is also listed in the National Gun Violence Memorial, which notes his shooting was one of three separate incidents reported in DeKalb County that day.
Police are still investigating the circumstances around the shooting, and no arrests have been announced. Separately, firefighters said whether anyone was injured in the clubhouse fire remains unknown, and the blaze's cause has not been determined, per the same report.
A Clubhouse Rebuilt, Then Lost Again
Neighbors told the outlet that the clubhouse had already been rebuilt once before, after an earlier fire destroyed the structure. This time, it burned to the ground overnight, leaving the community amenity a total loss once again. The article remains a developing story, with fire investigators yet to determine what sparked the blaze.
Lakeview Apartment Homes, also listed under the name Mountain Lake, sits on 22.41 acres at 1401 N. Hairston Road and was built in 1970, according to property records on Apartments.com. The complex is managed by JAMCO Properties, Inc., and is described as a multi-family garden-style development. Fires at multi-unit apartment complexes carry particular hazards because of shared structural elements and limited overnight exit access, according to public safety guidance from the City of Doraville and DeKalb County Fire.
A Complex With a Violent Recent History
This is not the first time Lakeview Apartment Homes has drawn police attention. In November 2025, DeKalb County police investigated a separate fatal shooting at the same complex after a man died from gunshot wounds on a Sunday afternoon, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Officers canvassed the complex for witnesses in that case as well.
Just weeks earlier, on November 3, 2025, 25-year-old Geremy Sims was shot multiple times and killed during an argument at the complex, WSB-TV Channel 2 reported. Investigators said that shooting stemmed from a personal dispute, and Sims's cousin, Raphael Sims, was later arrested by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit and U.S. Marshals after fleeing the scene.
Investigators Still Piecing Together What Happened
It remains unclear whether arson investigators suspect any connection between the parking lot homicide and the destruction of the clubhouse hours later, and whether surveillance footage or license plate data has identified any potential suspects. DeKalb County Police partners with Flock Safety to operate automated license plate readers across county corridors, technology that has aided detectives tracking vehicles fleeing other metro Atlanta crime scenes.
If investigators ultimately determine the clubhouse fire was intentionally set, Georgia law classifies first-degree arson as a felony punishable by 1 to 20 years in prison for knowingly damaging a building or dwelling by fire or explosion, regardless of whether the structure was occupied, according to a legal analysis from Justia Law. No such determination has been made in this case.
DeKalb County Fire Rescue, an ISO Class 2-rated department operating from 26 stations, responds to between 80,000 and 90,000 calls annually across unincorporated DeKalb County and 11 municipalities. Residents with information on either the shooting or the fire are encouraged to submit anonymous tips through the free Tip411 mobile app or by texting DKPD to 847411.
