Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Cops: $26,000 pot sale leads to DeKalb murder

One man was killed in an apartment shooting on Clairmont Road.
One man was killed in an apartment shooting on Clairmont Road.
By Joshua Sharpe
June 28, 2017

Warrants released Wednesday reveal that police believe a marijuana sale resulted in the death of a 26-year-old Atlanta man in Brookhaven.

Travis Ridley died after the suspects robbed him while involved in the $26,000 drug deal on June 1 at Avana Uptown apartments, the warrants said. The documents allege Ridley was trying to buy the marijuana with a friend.

Abel Ashmelash, 27, of Stone Mountain, and Edward Tavarez, 24, of Norcross, are charged with murder and armed robbery in the shooting off Clairmont Road.

Initially, investigators said Ridley may have been shot after pulling a gun. Detectives did find a firearm at the scene they believe belonged to Ridley.

But it isn’t clear if he, in fact, pulled it.

Both suspects remain in the county jail.

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