National guardsman shot dead by teens was ‘an innocent bystander,’ Mississippi cops say
Two teens have been charged in the killing of a Mississippi National Guard member, police announced Monday.
The Jackson Police Department arrested 19-year-old XaJavier King on murder and aggravated assault charges in the shooting death of Sgt. Stephen Matory, according to an update posted to the department’s Twitter account. Chaela Edwards, 18, was charged as an accessory after the fact to murder, police said.
The pair are accused of shooting and killing Matory at the Summer Park Apartments on June 18. The incident unfolded just after 6 a.m.
Police said they were unsure of a motive at the time, but later said the 24-year-old guardsman was an innocent bystander and not an intended target of the shooting, according to the Mississippi National Guard.
Guard officials recognized Matory as a “rising star in our ranks.”
“We’re at a loss,” Director of Public Affairs Lt. Col. Deidre D. Smith said, according to the Clarion Ledger. “He was a soldier’s soldier. He was just a good guy, loving life, doing his job. Our hearts are breaking.”
The guard also released a statement, saying it was “devastated at the loss of one of our own active guard service members.”
Matory served as a Transportation Management Coordinator with the 2/20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Jackson, according to a release sent to McClatchy News. He was honored with a number of awards, including the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and others.
“Sgt. Matory was a professional Soldier,” the statement continued. “He has served our country with honor and integrity. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time of loss.”