BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
MILLBROOK – In the natural order of things, parents are not supposed to bury their children. But there is nothing natural about murder.
This week Tametris Williams, of Millbrook, is assisting with arrangements for a funeral for her 24-year-old son Kendrick (Trey) Williams, who was shot in the head just before midnight July 11, and succumbed to those injuries the following day.
The sense of loss is overwhelming for Tametris, but friends, family and the community have rallied around her with prayers and support. She is taking comfort in knowing that the donation of Trey’s organs has so far given hope for a better life to three others she may never meet.
She holds fast to that knowledge, and the memories and photos of her son. He leaves behind multiple children, and she worries about those babies, living in a world without their father.
But more than anything, she wants justice for her son. So far no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Sadly, Millbrook detectives and officers are struggling to get potential witnesses to talk about what they may have seen, or identify the potential shooter.
Tametris believes she knows who killed her son, and that information has been shared with authorities. Her reasoning is that just before the shooting, she said Trey came home and told her that a subject he knew well had pointed a gun at him. She said it involved a disagreement over a female.
Tametris said Trey was very upset over the incident, and left the house after he told her what had happened. She was worried about him and followed him. But as she came upon the horrific scene, she realized Trey had already been shot.
Around 11:52 p.m., Millbrook police officers responded to the 2600 block of Sharon Lane with regard to multiple 911 complaints of shots fired, according to Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson. Responding officers were advised of reports of an individual shot. Officers arrived and found an individual, later identified as Trey, on the ground outside of a vehicle that had crashed into a parked vehicle.
Before the initial officer on scene could render aide, an unidentified black male fled the scene on foot. The officer gave chase but lost sight of the individual in the 2500 block of Sharon Lane. The individual was described as a black male wearing a white T-shirt and multi-colored shorts. The truck at the scene, a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pick-up truck, was later determined to stolen out of Tallassee.
Trey was shot while in that vehicle, Johnson said.
The Millbrook Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit responded to the scene to collect physical evidence and process the crime scene.
Since that time, detectives and officers have received tips on the crime, leading to potential witnesses they want to speak with. Some of those witnesses have been located and questioned. But useful information has been difficult to come by.
Neighbors in the area have turned over video surveillance from before, during and after the incident, and that is being reviewed as part of the investigation.
“We are asking the public for their assistance in this case,” Chief Johnson said in a release after the murder. “There is a lot of talk on the street and on social media with regard to the events … which led to this young man’s death. I can guarantee you whatever nonsense that precipitated this wasn’t a reason for this senseless act of violence and certainly not a reason for someone to die. Our investigators have several leads that they are following up on and we are confident that we will be able to identify and apprehend the person or person(s) responsible for this homicide. Someone out there knows what happened and why. We need that person to come forward and speak with our investigators, so that we can get this person off the street and hopefully provide the victim’s family with some closure.”
Johnson is discouraging anyone who has thoughts of retaliation rather than coming forward with information to the authorities.
“I implore our citizens to allow us to do our jobs and to assist us if they feel that they have any information that could help us make an arrest in this case,” Johnson said.
If you have any information about this shooting or those involved, please contact the Millbrook Police Department at 334-285-6832 or the Secret Witness Line at (334)285-8500. You can remain anonymous. You can also remain anonymous, and perhaps receive a reward, by calling Central Alabama CrimeStoppers at 334-215-STOP. We will have more information to release later today. Please, if you know something, say something. You can remain anonymous. This is the first murder for Millbrook this year.
The Williams family has unfortunately suffered loss before. Tametris’ brother, Kenny Williams, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Pit Stop convenience store on Main Street in Millbrook several years ago. A family member was initially charged with that crime, but later charges were dropped over evidence presented it was self-defense.
