In the early evening of April 7, 2020, the life of 20-year-old Roderick Matthews was tragically cut short on Emerald Drive in Savannah, Georgia. Responding to a ShotSpotter notification at approximately 7:30 p.m., Savannah Police officers discovered Matthews with a gunshot wound. Despite the immediate response and medical aid rendered at the scene, he succumbed to his injuries. Authorities indicated that they did not believe the shooting was a random act and began an investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The investigation led to the identification of a suspect, 21-year-old Kelvin Waye. On May 13, 2020, a coordinated effort involving the Savannah Police Department's Homicide Unit, Gang Unit, Violent Crimes Task Force, and the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force resulted in Waye's apprehension in Port Wentworth. Waye was subsequently charged with murder and transported to the Chatham County Detention Center.
The legal proceedings that followed, however, took a different turn. After a trial, a jury found Kelvin Waye not guilty of the murder of Roderick Matthews in February 2023. Waye, who had maintained his innocence and claimed he was out of town at the time of the shooting, was acquitted of the charges. The prosecution's case reportedly faced significant challenges, which the Chatham County District Attorney's office later described as including 'investigative and evidentiary issues,' the death of an eyewitness, and a lack of physical evidence such as a murder weapon, ballistics, fingerprints, or DNA. The victim's mother, Tanya Bostick, expressed her family's feeling that they were denied justice and hoped that new information might come to light. As it stands, the investigation into the death of Roderick Matthews has not resulted in a conviction, and Savannah police have stated that there is no evidence to suggest any other suspects are at large.
