Former DeKalb County police officer enters plea in shooting death of Stone Mountain man

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction by guilty plea of a former DeKalb County Police officer charged with shooting and killing a man inside the man’s Stone Mountain home. 

During a hearing today, Russell Mathis, 32, of Tucker, entered a negotiated Alford plea to charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Conduct stemming from the death of Marando Salmon, 37, on Nov. 4, 2022.  An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea where the defendant maintains their innocence, but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence that the case would likely result in a conviction. 

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson, who presided over the hearing, accepted Mathis’s Alford plea and sentenced him to 10 years to serve 2 years on house arrest, with the balance on probation.  As special conditions of his sentence, Mathis must serve 500 hours of community service, pay more than $4,700 in restitution to the victim’s family to cover funeral and burial expenses, and has agreed to permanently give up his Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Council certification.  Judge Johnson granted Mathis’s request to be sentenced under the First Offender Act, which means if he successfully completes his sentence, the record of his conviction will be sealed. 

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.             

“My team and I have stayed in close contact with Mr. Salmon’s family since this case began.  They shared with us how important it was to them that Defendant Mathis was held accountable on the highest charge, Involuntary Manslaughter.  By entering a guilty plea, both the Salmon family and our office feel the former officer has taken some accountability for his actions,” said District Attorney Boston.  “Prosecuting a law enforcement officer for wrongdoing and securing a conviction is incredibly difficult and we hope this plea gives the Salmon family a measure of justice and peace.” 

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Buffy Thomas with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Aldous McCrory, Senior Assistant District Attorney Thomas Williams, District Attorney Investigator Joshua Duke, and Director of Victim Services Amanda Planchard.  The Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted the preliminary investigation. 

Former DeKalb police officer Russell Mathis/Booking photo via DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office