‘It’s someone messing around’...last words of Briton killed by bullet
A BRITISH astrophysicist killed by a stray bullet fired 300ft away told his girlfriend it was just “people messing around” before collapsing in her arms.
Dr Matthew Willson, 31, was hit in the head in bed after the bullet travelled across woodland between two apartment blocks and through an exterior wall.
Police have begun a murder inquiry, describing the Briton as an “innocent victim” of “a senseless act” after the incident in Atlanta, Georgia.
Matthew’s American girlfriend of three years, Katherine Shepard, 26, said they heard gunfire before the tragedy: “I turned to Matthew and said, ‘I’m going to call the cops.’
“His last words were, ‘Sure, I’m sure they are just messing around.’
“I was kneeling on my bed looking out of the window to see if I could see anything. I felt the bed move, Matt was possibly getting up, and there was a tiny explosion in our room.
Screaming
“Then I heard Matt’s breathing change and I asked if he was OK.”
Katherine said she turned on the light, adding: “He had started to slump over. I saw he’d been shot in the head and started screaming.
“I knelt on the bed holding a towel to his head, talking to him and shaking him whenever he started closing his eyes.
“He looked like he was looking at me, but he wasn’t talking at all and he was struggling to breathe.
“I just felt panic. While we were waiting for the ambulance there were more gunshots fired.”
Her flatmate Aman Kar called 911 immediately but by the time an ambulance arrived 20 minutes later Matthew could not be saved.
Traumatised Katherine said: “He was supposed to be here for three months because we’ve been long distance for a while.
“I picked him up from the airport, took him to his favourite eating location, and the next day he’s gone.”
The Briton, who had previously been a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia State University, died on Sunday January 16 but details are only just emerging.
Aman told BBC Breakfast he and
Katherine, who moved in last August, heard shots on previous occasions. He added: This time it kept going on for 20 or 30 minutes until one of the stray bullets hit Matthew.
“As much as it’s an accident, it’s also not because of the sheer number of shots that were fired. It’s reckless...
reckless people with guns.” Atlanta Police, who have yet to make an arrest, have offered a cash reward and are treating it as homicide.
Sgt Jake Kissel said: “The two apartment complexes where the gunfire took place and where Matthew was staying, they’re separated by a patch of woods, so they back up to each other. Our investigator team has been working around the clock to ensure that we’re tracking down the individuals responsible.”
Matthew, from Chertsey, Surrey, studied at London’s Royal Holloway University, Exeter University and Liege University, Belgium.