British Doctor Visiting US Shot Dead in Bed

Matthew Willson had been in the country 2 days when he was killed by stray bullet
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2022 10:04 AM CST
British Doctor Visiting US Killed by Stray Bullet
Police say they received multiple reports of shots fired at a neighboring apartment complex.   (Getty Images/Evgen_Prohyrko)

A British doctor visiting the Atlanta area was killed by a stray bullet just two days after he arrived in the US. Police in Brookhaven say 31-year-old Matthew Willson was shot in the head while lying in bed in the early hours of Sunday, 11 Alive reports. He died from his injuries in a local hospital. The death was ruled a homicide. Police believe Willson was killed by a shot fired recklessly from a neighboring complex. They said authorities received a 911 call about the shooting while officers were investigating multiple reports of shots fired at the neighboring complex around 2am.

"This incident appears to be a random act involving individuals participating in the reckless discharge of firearm(s) which led to the tragic death of Dr. Willson," police said in a statement, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Dr. Willson was in town from England visiting loved ones when the incident occurred." The Daily Mail reports that Willson, who spent two years working at Georgia State University as a postdoctoral researcher, had returned to the US to visit his American girlfriend, and also has relatives in the US. No arrests have been made. (More Georgia stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X