DeKalb County District Attorney
09/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/16/2025 13:33
FORMER DEKALB COUNTY POLICE OFFICER REINDICTED IN SHOOTING DEATH OF STONE MOUNTAIN MAN
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
State v. Russell Mathis
Decatur, Ga.- A former DeKalb County Police officer has been reindicted for shooting and killing a man inside his Stone Mountain home.
On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, a DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted Russell Mathis, now 32, of Tucker, on charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Conduct stemming from the death of Marando Salmon, 37, on November 4, 2022.
According to the preliminary investigation, Officer Mathis and another officer responded to a call about a stolen car parked in the driveway of a home on Autumn Crest Court in Stone Mountain. As part of their investigation, they knocked on the front door of the house, which swung open. The officers then entered the home.
As they cleared the house, Officer Mathis opened the door of a second-floor bedroom and encountered Salmon sitting on his bed in the dark room. In a matter of seconds, Officer Mathis opened fire shooting and killing Salmon. Salmon had thrown a cell phone at Officer Mathis, which Mathis said he believed was a knife.
Salmon was unarmed at the time of the shooting, but a holstered gun was later recovered in the bedroom. Paramedics transported Salmon to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Defendant Mathis and the other officer involved were previously indicted in February 2024. In April 2025, defense counsel moved to dismiss the case based on concerns about the presentation of certain evidence to the Grand Jury. In an abundance of caution, the DA's Office chose to nolle prosequi the charges from that indictment.
After thoroughly re-examining the facts of the case, the trial team decided to focus the prosecution of the case on Mathis, who fired the fatal shots. The DA's Office will not pursue charges against the other officer.
The case has been assigned to DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson. Defendant Mathis is scheduled for an arraignment on the charges on November 19, 2025.
State v. Russell Mathis
Decatur, Ga.- A former DeKalb County Police officer has been reindicted for shooting and killing a man inside his Stone Mountain home.
On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, a DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted Russell Mathis, now 32, of Tucker, on charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Conduct stemming from the death of Marando Salmon, 37, on November 4, 2022.
According to the preliminary investigation, Officer Mathis and another officer responded to a call about a stolen car parked in the driveway of a home on Autumn Crest Court in Stone Mountain. As part of their investigation, they knocked on the front door of the house, which swung open. The officers then entered the home.
As they cleared the house, Officer Mathis opened the door of a second-floor bedroom and encountered Salmon sitting on his bed in the dark room. In a matter of seconds, Officer Mathis opened fire shooting and killing Salmon. Salmon had thrown a cell phone at Officer Mathis, which Mathis said he believed was a knife.
Salmon was unarmed at the time of the shooting, but a holstered gun was later recovered in the bedroom. Paramedics transported Salmon to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Defendant Mathis and the other officer involved were previously indicted in February 2024. In April 2025, defense counsel moved to dismiss the case based on concerns about the presentation of certain evidence to the Grand Jury. In an abundance of caution, the DA's Office chose to nolle prosequi the charges from that indictment.
After thoroughly re-examining the facts of the case, the trial team decided to focus the prosecution of the case on Mathis, who fired the fatal shots. The DA's Office will not pursue charges against the other officer.
The case has been assigned to DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson. Defendant Mathis is scheduled for an arraignment on the charges on November 19, 2025.
DeKalb County District Attorney published this content on September 16, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 16, 2025 at 19:33 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]