Autumn Ernst’s family was sitting around the dinner table in their Suwanee home Wednesday evening when her phone started to ring. On the other end of the line was a police detective.
An arrest had been made in the September shooting death of her son, Harrison Olvey, who worked as a valet in Buckhead, the detective said. As she looked to Olvey’s empty seat, Ernst felt a wave of relief. The family was finishing their meal and had made a toast to him moments earlier, as they do every night.
“Nothing will ever bring back Harrison, but I am very relieved that Randy King is off the street,” Ernst told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday morning.
King, 22, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on a charge of murder, ending a search that saw him placed on the Atlanta Police Department’s Most Wanted list.
On Sept. 3, King allegedly opened fire after the valet spotted him attempting to break into a truck at a LongHorn Steakhouse near Uptown Atlanta, previously known as Lindbergh City Center. Olvey, who was handling parking services for the nearby Tongue & Groove nightclub, asked King what he was doing and was shot without warning, according to investigators.
Ernst said her son was just trying to do the right thing.
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Olvey, a recent Kennesaw State University graduate, was working a temporary valet job before pursuing bigger dreams. He had been offered a job with State Farm and was set to attend a friend’s wedding the weekend after he was killed. His family said they had to painfully cancel his tuxedo rental.
Since the killing, countless friends and people he touched with kindness have reached out. Ernst said she is doing her best to move forward alongside her family, who all got tattoos in Olvey’s memory last month.
Hers included his birthdate and signature from a Mother’s Day card he proudly gave her this year. In black ink, slightly bolder than the signature and date, reads, “Forever in my Heart.”
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Credit: Autumn Ernst
On Thursday morning, Ernst said her family was volunteering at the rebuilding of PlayTown Suwanee, a playground that was built almost two decades ago by her ex-husband Steve Olvey, Harrison’s father. Steve died of heart failure last year and his son had planned to volunteer Thursday in his memory.
Ernst said the family made sure to attend in Harrison’s place. She said it felt amazing to work alongside the dozens of volunteers, her family honoring the memories of two loved ones lost too soon.
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Credit: Autumn Ernst
With the arrest, the family is starting down what could be a long road to justice. A Fulton Sheriff’s Office spokesperson confirmed that King made his first court appearance Thursday. He was not expected to be granted bond due to the severity of his charge.
“Now he can never hurt another family the way he has hurt ours,” Ernst said.
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