CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County Police said the person wanted in connection with a shooting that injured an officer in March was killed in a in DeKalb County shooting last week.
On Tuesday, Clayton County Police said they were able to confirm through another agency that Charles Payne, the 18-year-old killed when gunfire erupted at a Lithonia gas station last Wednesday, was the same person wanted in their police shooting investigation.
Here's a look at both cases and how they unfolded.
Clayton officer grazed by bullet
Clayton County Officer Ryan Richey was shot in the waist during a response to an armed robbery call in front of the Harbour Food Mart by Riverdale Road on March 2. A bullet ricocheted, hurting the officer, though he did not fire back, according to investigators.
Bullets were fired during an altercation between the robbery victim and a man, police said. The victim's hand was hurt in the shooting. At last check, the victim is OK. The officer has since recovered.
Police originally identified another man as the suspect in the case and took him into custody, but they have since rescinded his charges, announcing his innocence in the case.
In April, authorities named Payne as the suspect.
Deadly DeKalb gas station shooting
On the night of June 22, multiple people fired weapons in the parking lot of the Chevron Gas Station on Covington Highway, which resulted in the death of a teen, DeKalb County police said.
Investigators found multiple shell casings spread across the parking lot and a young man in his late teens dead from an apparent gunshot wound. The medical examiner's office later identified the person killed as Payne.
Police later named three persons of interest in this case that they wanted to speak to about the shooting.
The latest in the investigations
When authorities identified the person killed in the DeKalb shooting as Payne, it was the same name and age as the person wanted in connection with the Clayton County shooting. Records also showed the weight and height of the person in both cases were the same.
11Alive has been reaching out since last week to find out if this was in fact the same person. Clayton County provided confirmation Tuesday afternoon that it was.
On Wednesday, Clayton County Police confirmed that their case is now closed. Payne was the only suspect they named publicly after rescinding another man's charges. We've also reached out to find out what led them to identifying Payne in connection with the Clayton shooting. We are waiting to hear back.
We have also asked DeKalb County Police if they are still looking for the persons of interests and to see if any arrests had been made following Payne's death.