2 DeKalb County officers indicted in 2022 deadly shooting of Marando Salmon

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A grand jury in DeKalb County has indicted two police officers for a deadly 2022 shooting inside an Autumn Crest Court home.

Former DeKalb County Police Officer Russell Mathis, 30, was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. A second officer, 30-year-old Jordan Vance, who is currently employed by DeKalb County, was charged with reckless conduct.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the pair of indictments during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon as the family of 36-year-old Marando Salmon sat feet away, clinging to his picture. 

At around 11 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2022, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department went to a home on the 900 block of Autumn Crest Court to respond to a report of a stolen car parked in the driveway.

They said when they knocked on the door, it swung open, so they went in and found Salmon in his bedroom in the dark.

Boston said Salmon threw a phone at the officers, which they believed to be a knife.

But the narrative from law enforcement changed over time. 

In their first report, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says that Salmon allegedly reached for a handgun and was shot by officers. 

A month later, the GBI walked that back.

"Although the officer did not see Salmon touch a firearm, he was reaching for a nearby item," the GBI report reads.

In the news conference Wednesday, Boston said body camera footage and other evidence told a very different story, adding that Mathis appeared to open fire within seconds of encountering Salmon. 

Although he did have a gun in the room, Boston said it was holstered, nowhere near him, and he was a lawful gun owner. 

Both Mathis and Vance will surrender to the DeKalb County Jail in the coming days, Boston said. 

Salmon's family did not wish to comment following the announcement.