EX-U of GA Football Player Akhil Crumpton Arrested Charged In 2021 RaceTrac Fatal Shooting

OCONEE COUNTY, GA. (THECOUNT) — Akhil Nasir Crumpton, of Philadelphia, has been identified as the suspect arrested in the 2021 murder of 23-year-old Elijah Wood, a RaceTrac store clerk.

Crumpton, a former University of Georgia football player, was arrested on murder charges in the shooting death of Wood nearly a year ago.

Wood was shot to death on March 19, 2021 at the store on Highway 441.

The sheriff’s office, with the help of multiple agencies, arrested Akhil 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,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “WE GOT HIM!”

In February, the sheriff’s office was notified by ATF that a gun used in a murder in Philadelphia matched the gun used in Wood’s death, reports WSBTV.

Investigators were able to connect that Crumpton, who is from Philadelphia, played football at UGA in 2017 and 2018 and studied at UGA until 2021.

Philadelphia police have not released any information about what murder Crumpton is accused of there.

“It’s a great relief to finally have the suspect in custody,” said Oconee Co. Sheriff James A. Hale Jr. “For the past year Oconee Co. investigators along with our state, federal, and local law enforcement partners have tirelessly worked this difficult case. Although challenging, we were always confident we would find the person responsible for this senseless murder.”

Although an arrest has been made, this case is still an active investigation. Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 769 3945.

“This case is not over,” said Oconee Co. Sheriff James A. Hale Jr. “The arrest is only the start of the process, which will not end until we successfully prosecute this case in a court of law.”

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Geo quick facts: Oconee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,273. Its county seat is Walhalla – Wikipedia.