Ohio Mourns Deputy Matthew Yates, Gunned Down in Trailer Park
Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Yates was gunned down inside an Ohio mobile home park on July 24, 2022. Coffee or Die Magazine composite.
Across Ohio’s Clark County, Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Yates could’ve been called “You good?” because that caring question was his calling card.
“Matt loved to wrestle around, but he'd always pick you up, dust you off, and make sure to ask you if you were good,” Deputy Matthew Ayers said during funeral services for Yates on Monday, Aug. 1, at First Christian Church in Springfield.
Yates, 41, was gunned down July 24 in the Harmony Estates Mobile Home Park in Harmony Township after responding to a domestic violence call concerning an armed woman who'd allegedly broken into a man’s trailer.
Clark County Sheriff Deborah K. Burchett told reporters that her arriving deputies were “met with gunfire” and that Yates went down inside the residence, although it remains unclear who the shooter was.
After Clark County Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Yates was gunned down inside an Ohio trailer park on July 24, 2022, citizens decorated his patrol vehicle with flowers. Clark County photo.
Roughly three hours into the standoff, Clark County Special Operations Team members evacuated the deputy in an armored vehicle. He was rushed to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton by a CareFlight helicopter, but he died later that day.
The mobile home erupted in flames. Investigators believe two people died inside the trailer. Authorities have not released their names.
Yates was a 15-year veteran of the department and a member of the Special Operations Team, too.
“Deputy Matthew Yates leaves behind a legacy that each and every one of us will be proud to achieve,” Maj. Chris Clark, the team’s commander, told mourners on Monday.
After Clark County Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Yates was gunned down inside an Ohio trailer park on July 24, 2022, citizens decorated his patrol vehicle with flowers. Clark County photo.
Yates was born Nov. 25, 1980, to Eugene Yates and Lisa Yates (née Williams) in Springfield, Ohio.
He is survived by his wife, Tracy; parents; daughter, A’kaylehana; sons, Anthony Reed and Andrew Reed; and siblings, Lisa, Rochelle, Martin, Anthony, Stephen, and Walter.
He was entombed in the Ferncliff Cemetery and Aboretum's mausoleum following Monday's funeral service.
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Noelle is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die through a fellowship from Military Veterans in Journalism. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and interned with the US Army Cadet Command. Noelle also worked as a civilian journalist covering several units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment on Fort Benning, before she joined the military as a public affairs specialist.
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