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Clayton County officer tended to victim before reporting he was hurt in shooting, report shows

Officer Richey tended to the victim right away, even after he was struck.

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: On April 13, the Clayton County District Attorney's office confirmed to 11Alive that it dropped the charges against the Arterio Crumbley, who was accused of shooting officer Ryan Richey.

Crumbley's girlfriend has allowed 11Alive to continue using the photos of him in connection to the case.

A newly released incident report is detailing the heroic moments when a Clayton County Police officer was shot in the line of duty and continued to care for another victim at the shooting scene.

Officer Ryan Richey was called to an armed robbery call in front of the Harbour Food Mart along Riverdale Road last week, according to Clayton County Police.

Police said the victim of the robbery was shot in the hand while Richey was shot in the waist area, adding the incident happened very quickly. Investigators said the officer did not fire back in the chaos.

An incident report from the Clayton County Police Department reveals Richey notified dispatch from the parking lot that he was possibly struck in the shooting.

Responding to the call for back-up, police arrived to find Richey standing next to his patrol vehicle and speaking with the victim, the police report reads. 

"I rushed over to Officer Richey who advised me he thought something hit him in the stomach and thought it was a possible ricochet and a fragment might have bounced off of him," the reporting officer documented. 

Records show the officer was evaluating Richey for any injuries and found a hole in his shirt and noted "blood has soaked" through it. Upon lifting Richey's shirt, the officer said he found a bullet wound in his stomach area, according to the report.

"I then immediately began to strip the vest and gear off of Ofc. Richey while having him take a seat in a patrol vehicle while awaiting on medical personnel to arrive," the officer said in the incident report.

While being treated, Richey told police he saw an altercation between the victim and a man as he was pulling into the parking lot of the food mart, the report reads. As Richey was getting out of his vehicle, the man, identified later as the 25-year-old suspect Arterio Crumbley, fired a shot before running behind a nearby apartment complex building, according to the report.

CCPD's incident report also paints a new picture of the altercation that led to the shooting, adding that the victim was inside the food mart when Crumbley approached him "and snatched his wallet." Records show the victim chased after Crumbley and a physical fight broke out between the two. According to police, that's when Richey arrived and Crumbley pulled out his gun -- pointing it toward the officer and the victim. 

In the struggle, the victim suffered minor lacerations, according to investigators. Police documented he had powder burns on his shirt from the shot being fired and his jacket had a hole from the round. He was treated for his injuries, according to police. Richey was taken to the hospital and was released not long after.

The shooting prompted an hours-long manhunt for Crumbley. He turned himself in later that night. He is now being held in the Clayton County Jail without bond facing armed robbery and aggravated assault charges.

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