Matthias Washington, a 29-year-old Black / African American man, was shot during a confrontation inside an apartment in northwest Lincoln, Nebraska, on the afternoon of Saturday, November 22, 2025. Police were called around 4 p.m. to an apartment complex near Ninth Street and Belmont Avenue after reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Washington inside the residence with a single gunshot wound.
First responders immediately began CPR at the scene before rushing him to a nearby hospital, where he was placed on life support.
According to investigators, the shooting followed a series of altercations between Washington and a 34-year-old family member who also lived in or was present at the apartment. Authorities have said these disputes unfolded over the course of the day and ultimately escalated into the violent encounter that left Washington critically injured. The family member was the one who contacted the Lincoln Police Department to report the shooting, and he remained at the scene when officers arrived, providing an initial account of what had happened.
At the hospital, doctors determined that Washington’s injuries were life-threatening. Local news outlets reported that he was not expected to survive, and despite intensive medical treatment, he died from his injuries on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 25, 2025. His death transformed the incident from a critical shooting investigation into a fatal case and added another violent, domestic-related tragedy to Lincoln’s 2025 case load, drawing renewed attention to tensions that can build and erupt within families behind closed doors.
In the days following the shooting, investigators focused on determining whether the 34-year-old relative acted in self-defense. Police have emphasized that their conclusions will be based on physical evidence from the apartment, forensic analysis, and witness statements, including the relative’s own account, which has been described as cooperative both at the scene and in follow-up interviews. A firearm believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered from the apartment and seized as evidence.
As of the most recent public reports, no arrests or formal charges had been announced in connection with Washington’s death. The 34-year-old relative has been treated as the central figure in the investigation but has not been publicly named, and authorities have repeatedly stressed that they are still working to determine whether his actions meet the legal standard for self-defense or warrant criminal charges. Police have asked anyone who may have information about the altercations earlier that day or events inside the apartment before the shooting to contact the Lincoln Police Department or Crime Stoppers, underscoring that the case remains open and that the final determination on accountability for Washington’s death has yet to be made.
