A stray bullet can unleash a spell of horrors. This holds true for a recent incident where a British man, who was lying in bed during a trip to the US city of Atlanta, died after getting hit by a stray bullet in the early hours of Friday.
The 31-year-old astrophysicist from Surrey, Dr Matthew Willson, was shot when a weapon was discharged by a group of people in a neighbouring block of flats in the suburb of Brookhaven.
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After multiple shots were fired, some residents called emergency services at around 2 am, as per reports.
Willson was taken to hospital, but succumbed to his injuries from a gunshot wound on the head, the police said. His death is being probed as a homicide. In the incident, no arrests have been made till now.
Just spoke with girlfriend of the man killed in bed by a stray bullet in Brookhaven.
“I was just trying to keep him there, talking to him,” she said. “If he closed his eyes, shaking him, until they opened again…I can’t fathom it.”
She needs the public’s help. @ 6pm pic.twitter.com/38qKgrYpgv
— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) January 21, 2022
The astrophysicist belongs to Chertsey and seems to have flown to the US to visit girlfriend in Georgia.
The victim looks to have got hit by a single bullet, which passed through the bedroom wall as he slept in the bed.
Police believes it to be a random act, which involved individuals participating in reckless discharge of firearms, reported local TV.
Sgt Jacob Kissel from Brookhaven police told WSB-TV, “This was a senseless act – this was an innocent victim. She and her boyfriend were lying in bed. He was here visiting from England. He was visiting a loved one. He had just flown in to the Atlanta area.”
“We lean on the public to understand that this is a tragic event, and we hope that they may come forward with any information they may have,” Kissel added.
Kate Easingwood, his sister, posted a tribute to him on Instagram and said, “The world is so unfair.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said, “We are supporting family of a British man following his death in the US, and are in contact with US authorities.”
(With inputs from agencies)
