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Remembering the life of Oconee County gas station clerk
One year ago Elijah Wood was shot and killed as he worked as a gas station clerk in Oconee County.
OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. - Community members and family gathered to remember a man murdered one year ago while working a night shift at a Georgia gas station.
The memorial for 23-year-old Elijah Wood came just days after an arrested in the man's murder. Wood's family is still in mourning, but found some comfort in the arrest of a suspect.
"We decided to release balloons on the anniversary of Elijah's murder," Wood's brother-in-law Tripp Lemmonds said. "Also, a little bit in celebration of the capture and the arrest of the killer."
FAMILY OF MURDERED OCONEE COUNTY RACETRAC CLERK RELIEVED BY SUSPECTED KILLER'S ARREST
Ahkil Crumpton, a former UGA student and football player, is charged with Elijah Wood's murder. The Oconee County Sheriff's Office announced Crumpton's arrest in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Wood, 23, was working the overnight shift at the RaceTrac located in the 7900 block of Macon Highway on March 19, 2021. A masked gunman walked into the store, pointed his handgun at Wood and pulled the trigger around 1:40 a.m., investigators said.
Crumpton faces weapons charges in Pennsylvania, but sources believe those charges could be upgraded. It was not clear when he would be extradited back to Georgia.
Who is Ahkil Crumpton?
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Former UGA football player arrested in deadly shooting of gas station clerk
A man seen in surveillance video from the gas station was identified as Ahkil Crumpton, a former UGA student and football player. Elijah Wood died while working the nightshift at an Oconee County RaceTrac.
A Philadelphia native, Crumpton attended Los Angeles Valley Community College before to transferring to UGA.
In Athens, Crumpton was a wide receiver for the University of Georgia from 2017 to 2019. He played in 24 total games in his career, according to UGA Athletics.
He caught at touchdown pass in Georgia's win over Georgia Tech in 2017. He was a member of the squad that made a run to the College Football Playoff National Championship, blocking on the game-winning touchdown during the Rose Bowl.
According to investigators, Crumpton was a student at UGA until 2021, the year that Wood was killed.
Who was Elijah Wood?
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Former UGA football player arrested in RaceTrac clerk's murder
Elijah Wood, 23, was killed while he was working the overnight at the RaceTrac gas station located of Macon Highway in 2021. Former Georgia football player Ahkil Crumpton was arrested in the murder investigation.
Wood was beloved by many and was apparently known well by the sheriff's office investigating his murder.
Months after the shooting, a memorial stood in front of the RaceTrac where Wood worked and died.
Wood's father, Todd Wood, told Hale in a video posted on the sheriff's office YouTube channel before the arrest that said he spent months mourning his son's death, but the grief will never go away.
"I prefer to view this as, God's got it in his hands, he's always got it in his hands," Todd Wood said. "I completely trust the law enforcement behind this."
Wood's brother-in-law, Tripp Lemmonds said he wished the killer would turn themselves in.
"It still hurts as much today as it did the morning of the murder," Lemmonds explained before the arrest of a suspect.
Lemmonds said volunteers distributed thousands of flyers have as far as North Carolina and Alabama.
"Once sentenced, then we'll have some relief of it and then there can be some forgiveness because we are a godly family," Lemmonds said.
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