Dunsmuir, Cali. — Neighbors are speaking out about the fatal shooting of Matthew Graham. They said they’ve never seen anything like it in the quiet Northern California community of Dunsmuir. The 23-year-old was shot and killed in a residential neighborhood Monday morning by several different California law enforcement agencies.
“We live in these nice little quiet communities here and the danger is just up on I-5 and it can come down here anytime,” neighbor Judie Cockburn said.
Cockburn lives on Francis Street just a couple houses up from where deputies and officers opened fire on Graham.
“It was very scary. I woke up to take my dog out and there was a helicopter circling over the house and I’m going ‘oh shoot, I hope there’s not a fire,'” she said.
But the helicopter was on the search for Graham. He was named a suspect in the disappearance of his 6-month-old daughter, Ember Graham, earlier this month. She’s still missing.Deputies said Graham car jacked a couple at gunpoint in Shasta Lake earlier Monday morning.
Cockburn said after she saw the helicopter she went back into her home. That’s when she heard the gunfire.
“I’ve been in gun ranges before and I felt like I was standing in a gun range that’s how loud it was,” she said.
Graham was armed with a handgun and had been tracked to a home on Francis Street. Deputies said Graham was hiding in the garage. The homeowners were inside their house at the time.
“I really can’t even imagine how they felt. Apparently what she told me is police officers let them know what was going on and they told her to lay down in the middle of their house so they wouldn’t get shot,” Cockburn said.
The couple who live in the home of the garage where Graham was shot said in a statement that they feel badly for how the situation had to end for Graham. They are also thanking law enforcement for their efforts in keeping their community safe.
Cockburn also said she’s sad the young man’s life had to end in such a tragic way, but she’s thankful all her neighbors are safe.
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