Man accused of shooting Clayton County officer, armed robbery victim arrested
Editor's note: Charges against the suspect arrested in this incident were dropped on April 12, 2022, the Clayton County District Attorney said. FOX 5 Atlanta has provided updates to this developing story.
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The man accused of shooting a Clayton County police officer and another person during an armed robbery at a shopping center off of Riverdale Road has turned himself into police.
FOX 5 was there when 25-year-old Arterio Lerente Crumbley turned himself into police late Wednesday, just hours after police named him as the suspect in the shooting.
The shooting took place shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday at a shopping center in the 5400 block of Riverdale Road. Clayton County police said Officer Ryan Richey and another man were shot during an armed robbery at the location.
The incident prompted an hours long manhunt.
Arterio Crumbly (Clayton County Police Department)
Who is the man accused of shooting a Clayton County police officer?
Arterio Crumbley was named as the suspect in the shooting of a Clayton County police officer and another person about six hours after the incident.
Police described Crumbley a being 5-feet-11-inches tall, weighing about 158 pounds, with black hair, and brown eyes. Investigators said he was last seen wearing an orange and yellow hooded sweatshirt, orange and yellow sweatpants, and black and white shoes.
About five hours later, Crumbley was on his knees turning himself into police.
Crumbley told FOX 5 investigators are looking for the wrong man. He said while the man in the mug shot is him, the man seen in dressed in yellow inside the store is not.
He said he was in Fayetteville all day and was nowhere near the crime scene.
Crumbley admitted to having a trouble past and used to live in an apartment complex behind the strip mall where the shooting took place, but he has since moved to Fayette County. He said he is trying to turn his life around which is why he is turning himself into authorities.
He told FOX 5 he believes he did have a violation of probation issue that did need to be cleared up, but professed his innocence in the shooting.
Who was the Clayton County officer shot during an armed robbery?
The Clayton County Police Department has not released too many details about the officer who was shot on Wednesday during an armed robbery.
Officer Ryan Richey was injured in Wednesday's shooting. He was rushed to Atlanta Medical Center where he underwent surgery.
Name released of officer shot during armed robbery in Clayton County
The Clayton County Police Department released the name of the officer shot during an armed robbery on Wednesday. Police he is out of surgery and was sent home. Meanwhile, investigators released a new phot of of the alleged gunman who was still on the run.
Just after 9:30 p.m., police said Officer Richey was out of surgery and being released from the hospital.
Police said he "would love to heal privately."
The other victim in the shooting, whose name has not been released, also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The crime and manhunt
Investigators have not released too many details surrounding the armed robbery that led to an officer and another person being shot on Wednesday.
SKYFOX 5 flew over the 5400 block of Riverdale Road shortly after it happened and saw several Clayton County Police Department cars, as well as firetrucks and paramedics.
Police believe a man wearing a yellow sweatsuit walked into a store in the Windjammer Shopping Center. Details surrounding the crime and what led to the shooting have not been released.
What is known is the suspect fired upon the officer and other victim, but the officer did not return fire.
A massive manhunt followed.
Police urged people to stay indoors and lock their doors. Officer shutdown the immediate area along Riverdale Road as more officers swarmed into the area.
Three Clayton County schools — Northcutt Elementary School, North Clayton Middle School and North Clayton High School — were placed on lockdown.
Within an hour of the shooting, investigators released a photo of showing the man in yellow inside the store.
Around 8 p.m., investigators specifically named Crumbley as the suspect, release a photo of him and giving a full description.
An hour later, police said they were scaling back their operations in the area and citizens could return to normal.
By 11 p.m., Crumbley had surrendered to authorities while maintaining he was not the man seen in the early surveillance image.
Watch Good Day Atlanta starting at 4:30 a.m. for an exclusive look at Crumbley surrendering to police following an hours long manhunt.
This story is developing. Check back for details. If you have additional information, pictures, or video email newstipsatlanta@fox.com.