Former DeKalb officer gets house arrest after guilty plea in fatal shooting
A former DeKalb police officer entered a guilty plea Wednesday ending a years-long saga following a fatal 2022 shooting.
Russell Mathis, 32, entered what’s known as an Alford plea, which allows him to plead guilty but maintain his innocence to one count of involuntary manslaughter. A reckless conduct charge was merged, and his plea was entered under a first offender rule that will erase the conviction from his record after his sentence is complete under certain conditions.
Mathis was sentenced to 10 years’ probation, including two years of home arrest. He will not be required to wear an ankle monitor and is only allowed to leave the house and the state for work-related travel.
He was originally indicted in 2022 alongside officer Jordan Vance but that indictment was scrapped in April because of a legal technicality that could have prevented the case from moving forward. A new indictment was obtained in September but Vance was no longer charged.
Mathis and Vance responded to a call about a stolen car parked in the driveway of a home in Stone Mountain, the AJC previously reported. Vance knocked on the front door, which swung open, according to police reports. At that point, the officers entered and began clearing the residence.
According to the DA’s office, Mathis went to a second-floor bedroom, opened the door and encountered Marando Salmon sitting in bed in the dark.
“In a matter of seconds, Officer Mathis opened fire, shooting and killing Mr. Salmon,” DeKalb County DA Sherry Boston said in a news conference announcing the indictment.
On Tuesday, prosecutors said Mathis and all DeKalb County police officers are trained to announce their presence while clearing every floor of a resident, but Mathis failed to do so on the night of the shooting.
As part of the plea agreement, he must pay $4,700 to Salmon’s family for funeral and other expenses.
Jasmine Brown, the mother of Salmon’s 10-year-old girl, said her daughter has lost the chance to grow up with a father because of Mathis’ actions.
Salmon’s sister said her family came to the U.S. from Jamaica. She described Salmon as a loving, caring person.
In a statement read by a DeKalb County victims advocate in court, Salmon’s mother asked for justice for her son, who she described as a truly good man.
Mathis’ attorney Chuck Boring said they were waiving any justifiable defenses and simply hoped this would bring closure to all parties involved.
“This was devastating for everybody,” Boring told Johnson.
Boring said his client is “forever damaged” by the shooting. Mathis will no longer be allowed to be a police officer in Georgia, as he is required to permanently surrender his police officer certification. He must also complete 500 hours of community service.
A behavioral incentive date has also been set three years from now, which could close his case if he doesn’t violate any terms of his probation.
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