Crime & Safety

Suspected Arrested in Decatur-Area Homicide

Police believe the suspect and victim had been arguing before the fatal shooting.

Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office

DeKalb County police have arrested a man they say was responsible for the killing of a store clerk in the Decatur area on Monday morning.

Rickey Westbrook, 24, has been charged with murder for the July 13 killing of Harry Wells, a part-time pastor who had six children, at the Exxon Food Mart at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Covington Highway.

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Captain S.R. Fore of DeKalb County police told Patch that the shooting occurred at approximately 4 a.m.; Wells, 54, was found with a gunshot wound and was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died of his injuries, according to Fore.

A store employee told WSB-TV that surveillance camera footage from the store seemed to show Westbrook and Wells in an argument before Westbrook shot Wells through a window.

Find out what's happening in Decatur-Avondale Estatesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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