Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Stray bullet kills British astrophysicist visiting U.S. girlfriend
A British astrophysicist visiting his American girlfriend just outside Atlanta was killed earlier this month by a stray bullet that struck him while he was lying in bed.
Matthew Willson, 31, died of a gunshot wound to the head after being taken to the hospital, local law enforcement said last week.
Willson, who was from the London suburb of Chertsey, was next to his girlfriend, Katherine Shepard, when he was shot in Brookhaven, Ga., on Jan. 16 about 2 a.m. The couple heard a heavy round of gunshots when she suggested calling the police, she told British media, which reported they had met when he worked as a researcher at Georgia State University.
“His last words were, ‘ Sure, I’m sure they are just messing around,’” said Shepard, who saw him slumping over in the dark, only to realize he had been hit. She recalled trying to stop the bleeding with a towel, urging him to “Stay with me” as his eyes closed and he struggled to breathe.
The bullet was probably fired from an area outside the apartment complex, investigators said. The shooting appeared to be a “random act involving individuals participating in the reckless discharge of” one or more firearms, Brookhaven police said in a statement.
“This is a senseless act. This is a completely innocent victim,” Sgt. Jake Kissel told WSB-TV, adding that Willson had just arrived in the United States.
The Briton’s killing made headlines in the United Kingdom, which has one of the lowest gun homicide rates in the world and some of the strictest firearms laws, including comprehensive background checks.
Willson’s family could not be reached for comment. But a sister of the astrophysicist told local media that someone was “just shooting a gun for fun. And they don’t even know that they’ve taken such a beautiful person from us.”
“There is no logic to it,” she told British media. “We want justice for Matthew.”
The U.K. Foreign Office said it was in contact with U. S. authorities and was “supporting the family of a British man following his death in the USA.”
Britain’s University of Exeter said its former doctoral student was “a much-loved member of our astrophysics team.”
“We have been informed about his tragic death in the U.S. and our hearts go out to his family, friends and colleagues,” it said in a statement.
The incident also shocked Brookhaven, a city of some 55,000 people. In 2017, a home security organization named it the 10th-safest city in Georgia and the safest in populous DeKalb County.
The police have urged witnesses to come forward with any information related to the shooting.