A man who was shot and killed at a DeKalb County gas station last week had been wanted in connection with a March shooting that injured a Clayton County police officer and a robbery victim, police confirmed Wednesday.
Charles Jakaobe Santana Payne allegedly shot Clayton officer Ryan Richey and another man when he was confronted for stealing $500 from the man’s pocket at a shopping center along Riverdale Road on March 3, police in Clayton County have said. Payne was 17 years old at the time.
The shooting prompted a widescale manhunt, and Clayton investigators quickly released photos and the name of a man they believed was the suspect, who turned himself in by the end of the day. They later determined they had charged the wrong man.
Payne was named publicly as the new suspect on April 13.
Now, Clayton police said their case has been closed upon confirming Payne was the same man who was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Chevron at 7046 Covington Highway in DeKalb on June 21.
DeKalb police said that multiple shell casings found at the scene suggested more than one person was firing shots in the parking lot, and investigators have been looking for three men they believe have information about the shooting.
Investigators shared photos of the three, all considered persons of interest, on social media. They are wanted for questioning, and at the time their photos were released, were not considered suspects.
DeKalb police did not immediately return requests for updated information.
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