Girlfriend of English doctor killed in Brookhaven by stray bullet asks for answer

By Mary Smith

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    BROOKHAVEN, Georgia (WGCL) — It’s been two weeks since a doctor passed away after he was hit by a stray bullet when visiting from England.

31-year old Matthew Willson was visiting his girlfriend in Brookhaven when gunfire erupted near her apartment.

“I’m hanging in there, his family’s hanging in there, but you know, the past few weeks, it’s really we’ve just had to approach it a day at a time because one day you’ll have overwhelming sadness or depression and no energy whatsoever and then the next day, you’re angry at everyone and everything,” said Katherine Shepard, the victim’s girlfriend of more than three years.

Shepard says she met Willson at Georgia State back in 2018. “Matt was here visiting me. He and I had been in a long-distance relationship for three years and he had flown into Atlanta 36 hours prior to the incident to see me for three months.”

The incident happened on Jan. 16 around 2 a.m. Police say a stray bullet went through Shepard’s apartment wall, hitting Willson in the head.

“He and I were sleeping in my bed — in my bedroom in my apartment in Brookhaven — and we heard shots being fired at the apartment complex behind mine,” said Shepard. “I turned on the light when I realized something was off and called the ambulance.”

Willson died in the hospital two days later. Police say they initially responded to Buford Highway for reports of shots fired. That’s when they learned Willson was shot potentially by stray gunfire, while in an apartment off Clairmont Road.

“It’s a tragic event. I know that it’s the first of its kind in Brookhaven,” said Sgt. Jake Kissel with Brookhaven Police. “These types of events are totally uncalled for. No one deserves to lose their life.”

Crime Stoppers is now offering up to $15,000 in reward money for any information leading to an arrest and prosecution for Willson’s death.

“To anyone that might have information, you know I just implore you to come forward,” said Shepard. “Accident or not, you know, this completely changed my life and the lives of his entire family, his friends and his colleagues.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Brookhaven Police at 404-637-0636 or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477). Tips leading to the arrest of individuals involved in this incident may be eligible for a cash reward through Crime Stoppers Atlanta.

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