Stray bullet kills English astrophysicist

A stray bullet struck and killed an English astrophysicist while he was inside an Atlanta-area apartment, authorities say.

Matthew Willson, 31, of Chertsey, Surrey, England, was visiting his girlfriend in the United States when he was hit by a bullet that pierced the wall of the apartment. The shooting happened early Sunday morning, only three days into his visit.

“He was supposed to be here for three months because we’ve been long distance for a while,” Katherine Shepard, his girlfriend of three years, told WSBTV. “I picked him up from the airport, took him to his favorite eating location, and the next day, he’s gone.”