December 5, 2006
Valdosta - The body of a Valdosta man was found in his car today and police think he was murdered.
Thirty-two year-old Antwan Mathis had a gunshot wound to his head and was slumped over the wheel of his car outside a Valdosta health care business.
The man's body was found by an employee at America Home Patient around eight this morning. "When I pulled up to work I noticed an unfamiliar vehicle behind the building," says Shannon Lyons.
He immediately suspected something was wrong. "I went inside and me and the manager went out back and walked to the vehicle and saw that someone had been shot in it," Lyons adds.
"They did the right thing and obviously called 911," says Capt. Brian Childress of the Valdosta Police.
When police arrived they found 32 year-old Antwan Mathis of Valdosta dead in his car, with a gun shot wound to his head. And with no gun in sight, they began treating it like a homicide. "We initially thought when we first arrived that it was a suicide, but right now, the investigation is heading more in the direction of murder," he says.
The photo we have was taken of Mathis when he was arrested for drug charges about one month ago. Because of his criminal background, police say they aren't ruling out if the murder was drug or gang related. "It doesn't look like gang related activity but how do you know. Right now we have a victim with a gunshot wound to his head and it could be anything," Childress adds.
Police are still searching for answers but they're optimistic they'll bring his killer to justice.
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