DAYTON, Ohio — Matthew Yates, a Clark County Sheriff Deputy who was shot and killed while on duty, is remembered as a beloved deputy, father, husband and family member by those who knew him.

What You Need To Know

  • Clark County Sheriff Deputy Matthew Yates was fatally shot on Sunday while on duty

  • Yates is being remembered as a beloved deputy, father, husband and family member by those who knew him

  • One of the people was his cousin and best friend Dion Green

  • Green lost his father during the 2019 mass shooting in Dayton

“I’m lost right now,” said Dion Green, Matthew Yates' cousin. “I’m not even going to lie. I’m lost. My heart is scattered into pieces right now.”

Green, who lost his father during the Dayton mass shooting in 2019, said Yates was more of a best friend than a cousin.  

“It was like six of us that was inseparable,” he said. “We were at everything together—homecoming together, going out together. We were the crew.”

They had so many great memories together, Green said. He said one thing Yates was known for was always falling asleep somewhere. 

“I remember one time we were out just riding in Springfield and he was like, let me pull over and take a nap,” he said. “So we pulled over and took a nap. I took one, too—like, you’re not about to be asleep and I’m not asleep.”

But what he said he misses most about him is how he treated people.

“He also cared for others as well," Green said. "I mean, we see the line of work he went into- to protect and serve.”

Monday afternoon, a procession of law enforcement escorted Yates’s body from Dayton to Springfield to pay tribute. 

Green plans to get a flag created to honor his cousin's name as well.

“I’m going to continue to honor him wherever I’m at speaking,” Green said. “They will hear his name.”