Ex-DeKalb officer accused in 2022 fatal shooting enters Alford plea

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Russell Mathis (DeKalb County Police Department)

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A former DeKalb County Police Department officer charged in connection with the shooting death of a Stone Mountain man was sentenced on Wednesday. 

Ex-officer accused in deadly shooting to enter plea

A plea hearing has been scheduled for Russell Mathis, 32, a former DeKalb County Police Officer accused in the deadly shooting of a Stone Mountain man. Mathis is charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Conduct.

What we know:

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson accepted the plea from Russell Mathis, 32, and sentenced him to 10 years to serve 2 years on house arrest and the remainder of the sentence on probation. 

An Alford plea is when a defendant maintains innocence but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them.

Additionally, Mathis must pay over $4,700 in restitution to the victim, Marando Salmon, 37, family. Mathis also agreed to give up his Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council certification. 

The backstory:

In November 2022, DeKalb County officer Russell Mathis reportedly shot Salmon to death inside his Stone Mountain home. 

Mathis and another officer had entered the residence while investigating a stolen vehicle found in the driveway. Upon entering a dark upstairs bedroom, Mathis encountered Salmon sitting on his bed. When Salmon threw a cell phone, Mathis—mistaking the device for a knife—fired multiple shots. While a holstered firearm was later located in the room, investigators confirmed that Salmon was unarmed at the time of the shooting.

The legal process has seen significant delays, with a grand jury first indicting Mathis and his partner in February 2024. However, those charges were dismissed in April 2025 due to procedural concerns regarding how evidence was presented. In September 2025, a grand jury reindicted Mathis alone on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, as prosecutors decided not to pursue the second officer.