Police ID body found near hardware store

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
© Copyright 2013 Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - Investigators on Tuesday released the identity of a murder victim found May 10 near the parking lot of a Dacula hardware store.

Police said Carlos Alberto Davila, 44, was found shot to death near Country Hardware and Feed, a rural business at the intersection of Harbins Roads and New Hope Road.

Little was known Tuesday about the victim. Gwinnett police spokesman Officer David Schiralli said investigators are unsure where Davila lived prior to his death.

An off-duty Gwinnett police officer came across the slain man while driving in the area about 6 a.m. on May 10. Investigators ruled Davila's death a homicide but have not commented on a motive.

A witness told the Post the victim appeared to have been shot in the back and dumped along Harbins Road, his feet inches from the roadway.

Investigators won't confirm "whether the body was moved to the scene or killed there," Schiralli said.

Investigators had to wait on Texas fingerprint records last week in their efforts to identify Davila, said Schiralli.

A message left at a Woodstock residence whose occupant matches the victim's name and age was not returned Tuesday.

Gwinnett Daily Post