Fourth suspect charged as Austell railyard murder investigation expands
Christopher S. Riles (Georgia Department of Corrections)
AUSTELL, Ga. - Police charged a fourth man with felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with a fatal September shooting at an Austell railyard.
Austell railyard murder investigation
What we know:
Cobb County police obtained an arrest warrant on Oct. 14 charging 36-year-old Christopher S. Riles with felony murder and aggravated assault.
Riles is currently held at Calhoun State Prison on prior charges.
The backstory:
Investigators previously linked three other men to the killing of 27-year-old Curdravious Clark at the Norfolk Southern facility located at 6000 Dr. Luke Glenn Garrett Jr. Memorial Highway. Escambia County Sheriff's deputies in Florida arrested 27-year-old Ty Anthony Thompson on the morning of Oct. 15, where he is held pending extradition.
Ty Anthony Thompson (Escambia County Sheriff's Office)
Police arrested 28-year-old Keondre Johnson and 26-year-old Michael Riles on Sept. 24. Both face charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses, and remain in custody without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
(L) Keondre Johnson (R) Michael Riles (Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office)
The case began on Sept. 14 at approximately 10:04 p.m. when Austell Police patrol officers responded to a reported shooting at the railyard. Officers found Clark with gunshot wounds before emergency crews transported him to Wellstar Cobb Medical Center, where he died.
The initial suspects fled the scene in a vehicle. The Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit assumed primary control of the homicide investigation at the request of Austell police.
FOX 5 Atlanta photo
Unanswered questions in railyard case
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released details regarding a motive for the fatal shooting or disclosed how the suspects knew one another.
Police have not indicated whether additional suspects or getaway vehicles were involved in the attack.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Cobb County Police Department, which detailed the timeline of arrests and murder charges in official department statements.