A tranquil evening on Tybee Island turned tragic on Saturday, April 19, 2025, when a family dispute escalated to a fatal shooting, claiming the life of 22-year-old Matthew Gilbride. Both Matthew and his brother, Ashton Gilbride, were residents of the coastal Georgia community. The brothers were engaged in a heated argument in the middle of the street in the 1000 block of Lovell Avenue.
The verbal altercation took a grim turn when Ashton Gilbride, 21, allegedly produced a handgun and shot his brother. Officers from the Tybee Island Police Department responded to the scene at approximately 7:45 p.m. to find Matthew on the ground with a single gunshot wound. Life-saving measures were attempted at the scene before he was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Following the incident, Ashton Gilbride was arrested and taken into custody. He has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Law enforcement officials have indicated that the shooting was the unfortunate culmination of a family dispute and have found no evidence to connect it to the Orange Crush festival, which was also taking place on the island at the time. As of late April 2025, the investigation into the death of Matthew Gilbride was still ongoing.
