In the early evening of Thursday, March 3, 2022, a domestic dispute escalated into a fatal shooting in Morgantown, West Virginia, claiming the life of 32-year-old Matthew Tylor Vaughn of Charleston. Morgantown Police officers were dispatched to an apartment at 18 Van Gilder Street shortly after 5:00 p.m. following reports of a domestic disturbance.
While on their way, officers received an update that shots had been fired and a man had been shot.
Upon their arrival at the Skyline Apartment complex, police found Matthew Vaughn with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. Emergency medical personnel were on the scene and attempted to provide treatment, but Vaughn succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the residence. The incident was a result of a family dispute.
The suspect in the shooting was identified as Tracey Lynn Hamby, then 47, of Beckley. Hamby was the grandmother of Vaughn's children, who were the subject of a Child Protective Services investigation. She was arrested at the scene and a firearm was recovered from the residence. Hamby later admitted to shooting Vaughn.
Tracey Hamby was charged with second-degree murder. Following her arrest, she was arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court and held without bond at the North Central Regional Jail. In October 2024, she was convicted of second-degree murder. Subsequently, Tracey Hamby, then 50, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Matthew Vaughn.
