College student mistakenly kicks in door of wrong home and is fatally shot, Kentucky cops say

A college student months from graduating was shot and killed after mistakenly kicking in the door of the wrong Kentucky home, authorities say.

Matthew Maggart, who according to his obituary was a student at Western Kentucky University, died following the Feb. 23 shooting in Bowling Green, police said.

The resident of the apartment was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher as Maggart was “actively kicking the door to their apartment,” police said. When the 23-year-old man made his way inside, he was shot by the resident.

Investigators determined Maggart lived at the complex and was impaired when he tried to enter the wrong home.

Police did not say if the resident could face charges.

Maggart, from Brentwood, Tennessee, was scheduled to graduate from WKU in May with a degree in hospitality management, his obituary says.

He was described as a “very quiet, kind-hearted and compassionate person,” according to the obituary.

Bowling Green is about a 120-mile drive southwest from Louisville.

This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM with the headline "College student mistakenly kicks in door of wrong home and is fatally shot, Kentucky cops say."