Former DeKalb County police officer Russell Mathis stands reindicted on charges related to the 2022 shooting death of Marando Salmon, a Stone Mountain man, after a grand jury delivered its decision this past Tuesday. This latest indictment comes following a previous indictment that had been dismissed earlier this year due to contested legal concerns surrounding the presentation of evidence, reported Atlanta News First.
The on-duty incident, dating back to Nov. 4, 2022, involved Mathis, who along with fellow officer Jordan Vance were investigating a report of a stolen car located at Salmon’s residence, as officer Mathis fired the fatal shots, prosecutors now have honed their focus squarely on him, charging Mathis with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct at the scene where Salmon was found unarmed though with a holstered firearm in his bedroom, having misconstrued Salmon’s thrown cellphone as a lethal threat, according to information obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Originally both Mathis and Vance faced indictments in February 2024, yet only Mathis’s indictment has been reinstated; officials affirm that they will not pursue charges against Vance. The DeKalb County District Attorney’s office reasserted their confidence in the strength of the case against Mathis, despite the procedural hiccup that led to the temporary nullification, or “nolle prosequi,” of the initial charges in April 2025, as detailed by Atlanta News First…