Murder At Griffin Quality Inn

On Monday August 31, 2020 at approximately 3:30 am, Spalding County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of a person shot at the Quality Inn located at 2014 North Expressway in Griffin. When deputies arrived they located a male identified as Anthony Reid 52 years of age, who had sustained two gunshot wounds, lying on the floor of room 204.

Spalding Regional EMS responded to the scene and immediately transported Mr. Reid to Spalding Regional Hospital.

The crime scene was secured until Spalding County Criminal and Crime Scene Investigators arrived and began tracking leads and identifying potential witnesses. 

Sheriff Darrell Dix, “Shortly after EMS departed with Mr. Reid, my Investigators were notified that he had succumbed to his wounds. Spalding County Deputy Coroner Michael Pryor responded to the Hospital and met with my investigators after pronouncing Mr. Reid.” 

Search warrants were obtained for the room where the crime occurred and additional rooms where the shooter, now identified as Joshua Ray Fuller B/M 28 years of age, was associated with. Spalding County SWAT conducted the entries to locate the shooter, and while searching they recovered the weapon believed to be used in the crime. Fuller was found hiding in another nearby room and was taken into custody. “This investigation covered a large physical area and required multiple interviews with witnesses and others in order to piece together the chain of events that led up to the murder of Anthony Reid. 

We found that there were others involved in assisting Fuller after the shooting by attempting to aid him in hiding evidence of the crime. Those people were also arrested and charged.” 

“From the look of the crime scene and the evidence we gathered, it appears that when he was surprised and attacked by Fuller, Mr. Reid had no other choice, did all he could do, and fought for his life in order to defend himself before being shot.” 

Those arrested and charged are: 

Joshua Ray Fuller 

Black / Male  Age 28 6654 Lamar Hutcheson Parkway 

Riverdale Georgia 

Murder, Felony Murder, Malice Murder, Aggravated Assault (3 Counts), Armed Robbery (3 Counts), Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. 

Kristen Elaine Fuller 

White / Female Age 26 

2014 North Expressway Room 231 

Griffin Georgia 

Hindering Apprehension of a Fugitive, Tampering With Evidence 

Troy Edgar 

White / Male Age 48 

828 E. McIntosh Rd. 

Griffin Georgia 

Hindering Apprehension of a Fugitive, Tampering With Evidence 

All three suspects are currently being housed in the Spalding County Jail while awaiting their first appearance hearing before a Magistrate Judge “Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Investigators met with Mr. Reid’s family today at their residence and talked to them about the chain of events, the arrests, and the investigation up to this point. They are a strong family going through a very tough time right now in dealing with this tragedy. Please keep them in your prayers.”