Neighbor says she witnessed shooting of shoplifting suspect by Bibb deputy

Star Cornelious said she witnessed the shooting of a shoplifting suspect by a Bibb County deputy Friday afternoon.

Larry Daniel Matthews, 57, died on the scene in the 500 block of Colquitt Street. He was shot once in a confrontation with Deputy Greg Ussery after Matthews sprayed Ussery in the face with the deputy’s pepper spray, authorities said. The GBI is investigating the shooting.

Cornelious said she was walking onto her porch when she heard a commotion. She saw the deputy’s patrol car pulled sideways near a boarding house where she thinks Matthews lived.

Matthews was walking out of the boarding house with a plastic bag in his hand, Cornelious said.

“The cop was saying, ‘Come on ... come on ... .’ And he was like ... ‘No,’ he said, ‘This is all I have.’ (Matthews) said, ‘I’m not going nowhere.’

The deputy said, according to Cornelious, “ ‘Well, you need to leave from here,’ and then the guy hit him with the bag.

“He was like, ‘You want my bag ... well here you go,’ and he hit him with the bag, and then the cop say, ‘Well, now, you’re under arrest.’ ”

And then Matthews and the deputy “got to tussling,” Cornelious said.

“The police officer shook him off, and when he shook him off, he Tased him,” Cornelious said.

Matthews fell into the bushes.

“(Matthews) said, ‘Oh, you done f----- up now.’ He jumped up and he started beating on the cop some more ... . They looked like they were fighting — not just tussling at this point,” Cornelious said.

“And then I can’t see all the way. ... But I did see. I think both of them had each other in a headlock like it was to that extent. And then (Ussery) ended up shaking him off again and then when he shook him off that last time, that’s when he shot him,” she said.

Even though she did not see this part of the confrontation, Cornelious said she does not doubt that the deputy pulled out the pepper spray or that Matthews took it from him and sprayed him in the face as authorities have said.

She thinks Matthews may have been high on alcohol or drugs to have been able to jump back up and go after the deputy after being stunned with the Taser.

Cornelious said she thinks the officer was justified in the shooting in that he first tried to talk to Matthews and then Tased him before ever drawing a weapon.

She went live on her Facebook page with a video after she saw Matthews jump up after being stunned with the Taser.

What appears to be the top of the heads of the suspect and the deputy can be seen over the deputy’s patrol car and a parked car along the street.

What appears to be two shots fired can be heard on the video.

The GBI, which made a copy of the video, was able to enhance it, Cornelious said.

She said the deputy tried everything before he shot Matthews.

This wasn’t a hands-up situation or a hands behind your back situation, Cornelious told a Telegraph editor.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after The Telegraph obtained a copy of the video.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Neighbor says she witnessed shooting of shoplifting suspect by Bibb deputy."