Matthew Wilson and Katherine Shepard on the bed where he was shot
(Picture: a)The sister of a British scientist who was killed by a stray bullet that pierced through a wall has described his death as a “senseless act”.
Dr Matthew Willson, from Chertsey, Surrey, had been asleep in bed with his girlfriend when the bullet hit him in the head at 2am on Sunday.
The 31-year-old, who had only landed in America two days before, was staying with partner Katherine Shepard in Brookhaven, 10 miles north of Atlanta.
His sister Kate Willson has now spoken publicly for the first time since the freak incident.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms Willson bemoaned the loss of her “wonderful friend”.
She said she flew to America as soon as she heard the news.
“The bullet had caused too much damage to his brain, he was brain dead, and there was very little chance he was ever going to wake up,” she said.
Ms Willson added: “"A bullet came through the wall and struck my brother in the head.
"It was too dangerous for the police to go into investigate. They had to stand back until it was safe to go to my brother.
"It’s a real senseless act.”
She said her brother’s girlfriend had been left “traumatised” by the ordeal.
The death is being treated as a homicide but no arrests have been so far.
"Somebody knows who did this, and somebody know who’s responsible,” Ms Willson said.
Sergeant Jacob Kissel, from the Brookhaven Police Department, said the bullet “travelled through the woods and entered his apartment”.
He said it was the first incident “of its kind” and described it as an “alarming” and “tragic event”.
He said: “The two apartment complexes where the gunfire took place and where Matthew was staying, they’re separated by a patch of woods, so they back up to each other,
"We’re saying it’s the reckless discharge of firearms from one apartment complex and the stray bullet travelled through the woods and entered his apartment."
Ms Willson said: "The outpouring of love from everybody who knew Matt from around the world has been a real sign of what a wonderful person he was."
