US police offer £11,000 reward to find gunman after British scientist killed by stray bullet as he lay in bed

Matthew Willson, 31, was hit by stray bullet on 16 January while visiting his American girlfriend but the killer has yet to be found

Matthew Willson is pictured with his girlfriend Katherine Shepard hours before his death (Supplied)

A US police force has offered a $15,000 (£11,000) reward for information that will help it find the person guilty of killing a young British astrophysicist.

Matthew Willson, 31, from Chertsey, Surrey, died after being hit in the head by a stray bullet in Atlanta, Georgia, as he lay in bed with his girlfriend in the early hours of 16 January.

The academic had arrived in the US several days earlier to spend time with his partner, Katherine Shepard.

After the pair heard gunshots from a nearby apartment building, Ms Shephard phoned the police. Then she felt a small explosion beside her, as a bullet pieced the wall of their room.

“I remember a piece of the wall hitting me on the leg,” the 25-year-old told The Sun.

“I turned on the light, looked round and Matthew was slumped in front of me. I could see he had been shot in the head,” she added.

British scientist Matthew was killed by a stray bullet through an apartment wall while visiting his girlfriend in the US (Family handout/PA)

The local police department launched a homicide investigation, but are yet to arrest anyone in connection with Mr Willson’s death. They hope the financial reward will lead to tip-offs about the person responsible for “recklessly discharging firearms”.

Speaking shortly after the murder, Sgt Jake Kissel, from the Brookhaven Police Department, said gun violence was rare in the area. He described the case as “tragic” and said it was a “very tall task” to piece together what had happened.

Responding to her brother’s death, Kate Easingwood, who travelled to Georgia after the tragedy, said the “world is so unfair”.

“I don’t come from a country that has gun culture or any kind of gun crime like this,” she said. “It’s even more shocking for me that my innocent brother was caught in the crossfire.”

The University of Exeter, where Mr Willson was a PhD student, paid tribute to him, saying he was a “much-loved” part of its astrophysics team.

The Foreign Office is supporting Mr Willson’s family and is in touch with the US authorities.