Demazio Skelton Jr., 35, was killed during a violent apartment invasion in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood on August 4, 2026. Police say officers answered a call about 3 p.m. at The Flats on Maple Street and found three men shot inside an apartment; Skelton was pronounced dead at the scene. Two victims were taken to a hospital, and a fourth wounded person arrived at the hospital by private vehicle.

Investigators described the incident as a targeted armed robbery. Arrest warrants allege several men kicked in the door, shouted Give it up, and a struggle over a gun led to the shooting. Authorities recovered packaged marijuana and mushrooms and say the unit was being used to store drugs for sale. Naim Amadu Smith, 19, who was among the wounded and treated at Grady Memorial Hospital, was identified from surveillance video, arrested and booked in Fulton County on charges including murder, three counts of armed robbery and two counts of aggravated assault. Police continue to seek at least three other unidentified suspects.

If anyone has information about the people in the apartment that afternoon or the individuals who fled the scene, please share details with the investigators handling the case.