Akhil Crumpton, former Georgia football player, arrested in connection to 2021 murder case

The Oconee County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that former University of Georgia football player Akhil Crumpton was arrested in connection to the murder of 23-year-old gas station clerk Elijah Wood last year.

Wood was shot and killed at approximately 1:30 a.m. on March 19 by an armed assailant who was dressed in all black with most of his head concealed by sunglasses, a hood and face mask, investigators said.

Wood's murder generated public interest and led to a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, district attorney investigators and other offices collaborated on the investigation, which is ongoing.

According to the sheriff's office, shell casings at the crime scene were eventually matched to another crime scene in Philadelphia where local police suspected Crumpton was the shooter.

Oconee Sheriff James Hale said further investigation led to the evidence needed to secure an arrest warrant for Crumpton in the murder of Wood.

Crumpton, who is from Philadelphia, went to a junior college in California and played receiver for Georgia from 2017 to '18.

He remains a suspect in the shooting in Philadelphia, but it's still an active investigation and no charges have been filed, according to a police department spokesman.