Former University of Georgia football player Ahkil Crumpton was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a RaceTrac gas station clerk.
ESPN reports that Crumpton, who is 23, went to a junior college in California before playing wide receiver at UGA in 2017 and 2018, was arrested this week in connection with the murder of a gas station clerk. 23-year-old Elijah Wood was shot to death at a RaceTrac on March 19, 2021.
Crumpton was arrested in connection to the murder in Philadelphia after police matched a shell casing from the gas station shooting to another crime scene in the city, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“It’s a great relief to finally have the suspect in custody,” Oconee Sheriff James A. Hale said in a Facebook post announcing Crumpton’s arrest. “For the past year we have seen the pain, agony, and frustrations this murder has brought to Elijah’s family, friends, and to our community.”
Hale continued, “We all know this arrest will not bring Elijah back, but we hope his family, friends, and this community can now begin the healing process. We also know that the fight is not over. We must now successfully prosecute the case in a court of law.”
The UGA Athletic Association released a statement saying they “were stunned to learn that the suspect in this horrific crime is a former UGA student-athlete.”
The investigation is still active and no charges have been filed, a police department spokesman told ESPN.
