Crime & Public Safety

Months after shooting, Clayton’s most wanted murder suspect is arrested

Lem Johnson was shot multiples times at the Family Dollar in the 5000 block of Riverdale Road.
Lem Johnson was shot multiples times at the Family Dollar in the 5000 block of Riverdale Road.
June 7, 2024

A man considered the most wanted murder suspect in Clayton County was arrested Thursday following an incident in Newnan, officials said.

Montevious Garrison had been on the run since February, when police said he managed to flee after a shooting at a Family Dollar in Clayton. He was apprehended in Coweta County after a 911 caller reported spotting a suspicious person, the Clayton sheriff’s office confirmed.

The 20-year-old was booked into the Coweta jail on a charge of possession of a sawed-off weapon. He will later be taken to Clayton to face charges of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm and reckless conduct.

On Feb. 2, Lem Johnson was fatally shot at a Family Dollar on Riverdale Road, just south of I-285 and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Family members told Channel 2 Action News at the time that Johnson, 20, was dropped off at the store by his mother.

The suspect, who was eventually identified as Garrison, fled in a dark-colored SUV, police said.

“I personally just got off the phone with the victim’s mother letting her know she can rest easy knowing our No. 1 murder suspect, Montevious Garrison, is now in custody,” Sheriff Levon Allen wrote in a Thursday evening news release.

About the Author

Caroline Silva is a Breaking News reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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