A stray bullet kills British astrophysicist visiting Atlanta

BROOKHAVEN, Ga. (AP) – A stray bullet struck and killed a British astrophysicist while he was in an apartment in the Atlanta area, authorities said.

Matthew Willson, 31, of Chertsey, Surrey, England, was visiting his girlfriend in the US when he was hit by a bullet through the wall of his apartment. The shooting happened early Sunday morning, just three days after he visited.

His girlfriend of three years, Katherine Shepard, told WSB-TV: “He has to stay here for three months because we have been apart for a while. “I picked him up from the airport, took him to his favorite place to eat, and the next day, he was gone.”

Shepard, whose apartment is in the Atlanta suburb of Brookhaven, told the broadcaster that the couple was awoken on January 16 by the sound of more than 30 gunshots coming from an apartment complex just behind Shepard’s. A bullet went through Shepard’s wall, hitting Willson, she said.

“I held him for another 20 minutes while we waited for the ambulance,” she said. “And while we waited, more shots were fired.”

Police were nearby pursuing reports of gunfire when the 911 call from Shepard arrived. Sergeant. Jake Kissel of Brookhaven Crime Division said as soon as officers arrive on the scene, they will provide aid until paramedics arrive.

“Dr. Willson was taken to a local trauma center to cope with his injuries,” Kissel said in a statement. The shooting appeared to have been a “random act involving individuals involved in reckless shootings”.

Willson was mourned by family, friends and his alma mater, the University of Exeter.