The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former University of Georgia football player in the shooting death of a convenience store clerk nearly a year ago.
Elijah Wood was shot to death on March 19, 2021, at the RaceTrac on Highway 441 in Oconee County.
The sheriff’s office, with the help of multiple agencies, arrested Ahkil Nasir Crumpton.
“Today is the day Elijah Wood’s family, everyone here at the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, and our community has been waiting for,” Sheriff James Hale, Jr., wrote on social media. “WE GOT HIM!”
In February, the ATF notified the sheriff’s office that a gun used in a murder in Philadelphia matched the gun used in Wood’s death. Philadelphia police investigators advised Oconee County they suspected Crumpton was the shooter in their case. Oconee County investigators were then able to connect that Crumpton, who is from Philadelphia, played football at UGA in 2017 and 2018 and was a student at the university in Athens until 2021.
A UGA website shows Crumpton played as a wide receiver for the Bulldogs.
Following up on that lead, Sheriff Hale says investigators were able to obtain enough evidence to secure an arrest warrant for Crumpton.
“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. 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,” Sheriff Hale says. “We also know that the fight is not over. We must now successfully prosecute the case in a court of law.”
Although an arrest has been made, this case is still an active investigation. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 769 3945.
