ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) – A former UGA participant has been arrested in connection with the murder of 23-12 months-outdated Elijah Wood, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Workplace declared.
Watch Push Convention ABOUT ARREST Underneath
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s workplace, alongside with the ATF, FBI and Philadelphia Police Section announced the arrest of Ahkil Nasir Crumpton, who they think was accountable for the taking pictures that took Wood’s life.
In the course of a information convention Thursday, Oconee County Sheriff James Hale claimed he and his workforce worked nonstop about the past calendar year.
“It was a 24/7 consistent grind. We went household just sufficient to rest,” claimed Hale, who got choked up at periods talking about the situation.
“We are a relatives right here in Oconee County. Any time we lose any one particular of our people today right here it hits us really hard,” he mentioned.
In March 2021, Wood was fatally shot though working an right away change at the RaceTrac gasoline station on Macon Freeway in the vicinity of Watkinsville. The murder, which was captured on surveillance movie, despatched shockwaves by means of the Oconee County group. Authorities launched sketches and descriptions of the alleged assailant who had fled the scene, along with a reward from the FBI and Wood’s employer, RaceTrac Company. Afterwards, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office environment increased the reward to $50,000 a combination of $20,000 from the FBI, $15,000 from the RaceTrac, $10,000 from Oconee County BOC and $5,000 from the Oconee Sheriff’s Reward Fund.
“It’s a great reduction to at last have the suspect in custody,” explained Oconee Co. Sheriff James A. Hale Jr. “For the previous yr, Oconee County investigators along with our condition, federal and regional regulation enforcement partners have tirelessly labored this complicated circumstance. Although hard, we have been usually self-assured we would uncover the particular person dependable for this senseless murder.”
In mid-February investigators ended up produced conscious of a ballistic match by means of the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. It matched a shell casing from the Oconee County scenario with a shell casing from a murder in Philadelphia. Sheriff Hale said Crumpton was not on their radar until then.
That is when the Oconee County Sheriff’s Business released an investigation to establish if the shooter was the same in both of those cases. A link was recognized and Crumpton was arrested in Philadelphia, his hometown. Crumpton played soccer for the University of Georgia in 2017 and 2018 and was a university student at UGA until 2021.
UGA despatched the pursuing assertion:
“We were being stunned to study that the suspect in this horrific crime is a former UGA student-athlete. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to Elijah Wood’s spouse and children. We defer to the FBI, ATF and Oconee County Sheriff’s Office for any further comments relating to this ongoing investigation.”
Crumpton is in jail in Philadelphia awaiting extradition to Ga.
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