NBA star Kevin Durant's 'adopted brother' gunned down in Chamblee strip mall

CHAMBLEE, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The ex-boyfriend of reality TV’s “Love & Hip Hop” star Erica Mena and close friend of NBA superstar Kevin Durant was gunned down at a Chamblee, Georgia strip mall early Thursday morning.

Clifford Dixon, 32, had just arrived at the SL Lounge located at 4186 Buford Highway around 1:17 a.m. when he was shot several times while standing in the parking lot. Paramedics rushed the victim to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Detectives said the gunman escaped on foot. They only have a vague description of him which isn't being released yet to the public.

Chamblee Police brought in a K-9 to try to track the gunman's scent, but no arrests have been made. Investigators are hoping security cameras from the strip mall will help them identify the shooter. They said it might be difficult because some of the cameras at the Little Saigon strip mall aren't working. They also have been having trouble getting credible information from the witnesses at the scene.

TMZ reported Mena and Dixon dated for about 10 months, but their relationship was rocky, having had a very public fight last October which landed both of them in jail. Mena later became engaged to Safaree.

Dixon was also a close friend of the Golden State Warriors player, TMZ reported, being part of the NBA star’s inner circle and Durant often referred to Dixon as his “adopted brother.”

Anyone with information on the murder is asked to call Lt. Chris Newberry with the Chamblee Police Department at 770-986-5005 or anonymously through Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).