CANTON – Nine-year-old Ja’Lia Williams pointed out the blood spots on the living room floor where her father fell following the family’s New Year’s Eve celebration.
James Williams, 46, had been blasting celebratory gunfire to ring in the new year when a police officer shot him to death minutes after midnight, firing through the family’s enclosed wooden security fence, which is 6 feet high, according to his wife, Marquetta Williams.
“Out of the blue, he said he got shot, he got hit,” she said. “I don’t know where it came from. Nobody said anything. They didn’t say, ‘Police.’ They didn’t say, ‘Freeze.’ They didn’t say, ‘Drop your weapon.’ They just shot him.”
Marquetta Williams said she was standing only a foot or two from her husband inside the back door at their 10th Street SW home when he fired four shots into the air. James Williams turned to follow her inside and then told her, “I’ve been shot.”
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Police Chief Jack Angelo has asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate, turning over police body camera footage which has not yet been released to the public.
The chief issued a news release Saturday saying that Williams was armed when police responded at 12:06 a.m. to gunfire at his house in the 2300 block of 10th Street SW. The release said “… the officer, who was outside of his vehicle, confronted a subject that began shooting a firearm. The officer, in fear for his safety, fired his duty weapon at the subject and struck him.”
Photos at the Canton Repository
Police have declined to comment beyond the initial news release from Angelo.
Harry Campbell, chief investigator of the Stark County Coroner’s Office, said Williams was pronounced dead at 12:27 a.m. Sunday at Aultman Hospital, which is only a few blocks from Williams’ home.
The officer, who has not been identified, has been placed on administrative leave, as is policy in an officer-involved shooting.
Williams’ wife told The Canton Repository that she never saw an officer before her husband was shot.
The father of six girls, James Williams was at home New Year’s Eve with his wife and three of their daughters, his mother’s cousin and her nephew-in-law.
The girls were watching TV and, at midnight, “when the ball dropped,” the adults stepped out the side door into the enclosed patio, Marquetta Williams said.
“The kids were watching the countdown and we were going outside to shoot guns like everybody else does at New Year’s,” she said.
She said her husband used her AR-15 and fired into the air as they heard their neighbors firing guns into the air, too. He does not have a concealed carry permit, but she does, she said, adding that the gun belongs to her.
“We do this every year because it was New Year’s Eve,” she said. “Everybody (in the neighborhood) was shooting. It was a tradition. Everybody shoots on New Year’s Eve.”
After he fired off a few rounds, they stepped back inside and, a few seconds later, he wanted to fire off a few more rounds. He fired four times as he stood just outside their side door, about a foot away from her, still inside the enclosed patio.
She said he stepped back into the house and he told her he’d been hit.
“I could see the blood splattering across his shirt,” she said. “He collapsed in the living room.”
Marquetta Williams called 911 and by the time she opened the door, “There were 30-something officers with guns pointing at us, telling us to get down and come out of the house with our hands up.”
In a 911 recording released to the newspaper on Monday, a woman can be heard telling the dispatcher, “My husband is shot.”
On Monday morning, Beacon Academy Principal Cami Lewis went to the family’s house. Lewis said the girls attend her school, and she was preparing to send food, school counselors and other resources to the home.
Holes could be seen in the fencing where, Marquetta Williams said, the bullets had passed through
Ja’Lia Williams said her father cooked brunch on New Year’s Eve, a meal of bacon, eggs and biscuits.
“That was the last meal he cooked,” she said.
Her mother explained that James Williams loved to cook, often making their favorites, spaghetti and macaroni and cheese.
He had a massive hat collection and, she said, “He was a die-hard Detroit Lions and Detroit Pistons fan. He’s from Detroit. He doesn’t care if they were losing or not, he still rooted for them.”
The Detroit native attended the University of Akron where he studied criminal justice before moving to Canton. The family also lived in Indiana for a short time.
And, she said, “he loved spending time with his kids.”
A stay-at-home father, Williams had four daughters ages 9 through 15 and two step-daughters. Family photos decorating the living room show him proudly grinning in the middle of his large family.
“My husband was a good man, and he didn’t deserve to die this way,” Marquetta Williams said. “He was loved. He was lovable and kind. He would give you the shirt off of his back. … He’s going to be dearly missed. He shouldn’t have died the way that he did. I just want justice for him.”
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Something just doesn’t sound right about this story…??
And where did the 30 police come from?
“Marquetta Williams called 911 and by the time she opened the door, “There were 30-something officers with guns pointing at us, telling us to get down and come out of the house with our hands up.”
From one vet to another, Thank You For Your Service.
AND WHY did 30 cops, respond to ONE REPORTED shoooting?? UNLESS THERE WAS A LOT more than just one shooting going on?!
And who the hell, goes outside to “SHOOT UP INTO THE AIR on new years”.
Last i checked, this was NOT AFGANISTAN or Iraq!!!
Never lived in the country or spent time off the concrete I see. New Years Eve outside the cities where you can actually see stars at night gunfire is a very common sound. It peaks on the 4th of July and New Years eve. Oh, and on opening day. Perhaps this fellow and his neighbors did spend time among the real people.
Where the hell do YOU Live then? I’ve never see/heard gunfire to celebrate NYE.. OTHER THAN WHEN I WAS stationed in iraq for a tour.
Depends where you live Ituser… Dearborn Michigan looks like Iraq… Detroit looks like Iraq after the Bush’s got done with it. Brain washed libtards that are illiterate due to public schools who live war zones because of libtard policy and are clueless to gun safety “SHOOT UP IN THE AIR”.
Thankfully i’ve not lived IN ANY of those libtard cesspools, where ‘shooting in the air, was common place on new years’..
The article stated that multiple people in the neighborhood had done the same. Fireworks and gunfire on New Years Eve and other holidays is common in many areas in Ohio.
“We do this every year because it was New Year’s Eve,” she said. “Everybody (in the neighborhood) was shooting. It was a tradition. Everybody shoots on New Year’s Eve.”
Really, how stupid! She is the first person I’ve ever heard of that carries an AR15 as their concealed carry weapon.
Well, everyone shoots EVERY OTHER DAY.. SO why not on new years!
This is why there is such a thing as white flight.We do not want to live around people shooting guns. We want to be able to go out on New Year’s and enjoy a Yard‘s we pay payments, taxes and insurance for and we also pay for 80+ programs of welfare for other people. It’s not right to take our rights away from us while they take over with their illegal and dangerous practices of shooting guns. Shooting to celebrate needs to be abolished as it is already illegal and welfare needs to also be abolished. Maybe they need to be in bed at night to get up in the morning and go to work.
The article stated that she had a conceal carry permit, not that the AR was that weapon.
That concealed carry weapon wonder what it really is.
So, he….. cooked brunch on New Year’s Eve, a meal of bacon, eggs and biscuits….loved to cook, often making their favorites, spaghetti and macaroni and cheese. He had a massive hat collection…..was a die-hard Detroit Lions and Detroit Pistons fan. He’s from Detroit….attended the University of Akron where he studied criminal justice…he loved spending time with his kids.” A stay-at-home father, Williams had four daughters….Family photos decorating the living room..had a large family…..was a good man…was lovable and kind. He would give you the shirt off of his back. …
But he thought firing a rifle into the air in the middle of the most crime ridden city in the world was a good idea?
Well, everyone else was doing it…..
Probably a registered democrat. :/
I’m sure he will vote in the next election,its the Dem way!
Dead or alive, he will CONTINUE To vote democrat.. THAT IS THEIR WAY!
Shooting Ar into the air not the brightest move,EVER,but for a cop to shoot thru fence that he cant see thru just as stupid,body cam footage has been released!
https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/01/05/canton-police-release-video-fatal-officer-involved-shooting-new-years-day-graphic/
Thank you!
“We are showing you this footage so that you can make your own mind.”
“You can hear those 40-50 shots…”
I choose to count, and I heard less than 30. Still ridiculous. Wonder if anyone got tagged by the lead rain…
How much different is it to shoot through a fence blindly or to shoot up in the air when you know that bullet is coming down somewhere? Innocent people are at risk everywhere because of people shooting up in the air. We have had to stay in on New Year’s which is cruel to us when we pay taxes, insurance and payments to own our homes and land and cannot even enjoy it on the holiday.
All those attributes do not go together with shooting guns up in the air at New Year’s which makes it so law-abiding people can’t go out and enjoy themselves. Way to make the neighborhood dangerous for all because “ everybody else was doing it“. I can remember when New Year’s was fun and you could go outside and enjoy yourself but with forced desegregation that has changed and we have to stay inside even though we pay taxes, payments and insurance for our yards and homes And we also pay for 80+ programs of welfare for other people.
I’m 65 years old and for almost 60 of those years we have been told to NEVER SHOOT INTO THE AIR ON NEW YEARS! People don’t listen and other people end up dead or injured. Stupid is as stupid does.
Exactly! These dangerous people take away our safety and ability to enjoy our yards that we pay taxes, insurance and payments for. They should never be allowed to get away with shooting as it is illegal. Very dangerous for others.
There are laws against discharging a weapon within city limits. I’m a gun owner and I have NEVER fired my weapons into the air on New Year’s Eve. My weapons are only fired at the range. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
I am in total agreement, our only mistake is allowing this to continue going on. As with the culture This is another dangerous practice that should never be allowed. New Year’s should be enjoyable for everyone and we have had to stay in for years because of the increase of shooting.
Guns fired into the air have been proven to be more lethal than random gunfire shot horizontally; these idiots are not only breaking the law, they are ignorant of some basic physics of projectiles. NO sympathy whatsoever.
I’m sorry for his families loss, maybe it will serve a purpose to let Americans know that traditional celebrations like In “ the good old days” are no longer allowed especially under the new communistic-socialist-Marxist administration. Even cops can be wrong but when 30 show up there must be more to the story. I see a big government payout waiting in the wings.
I can remember when at midnight there were many, many gunshots every year. Even today, at midnight I heard a mixture of gunshots and fireworks. I have never fired a gun ‘in the air” on new years eve because I don’t feel it is safe and never have. Still it is not uncommon even today. I have also never fired through a fence, not knowing what or who was on the other side. Knowing there are people on the other side is much more dangerous than firing into the air.
I’ll never understand anyone celebrating with guns shooting in the air, those bullets must come back down. RIP to dad, what a horrible way to go and the family to witness. Something indeed very wrong here.
AND why is it, you never hear of “# of people injured”, BY THOSE shootings>>
I can remember back in the early 50s in residential Columbus Ohio it was not uncommon to hear celebratory shotgun blasts at midnight. It did seem a bit extreme to me and somewhat dangerous considering the probable blood alcohol level of the participants. Not quite as foolish as firing an AR several times. Stupid ?, Yes, but was this a justifiable homicide? Did the officer have reasonable cause to believe his life was in danger? Maybe so. Storming the Capitol was foolish and against the law. Did Ashley Babbit deserve to die? I can see a scared cop thinking he’s being shot at and how hard it would be to restrain from returning fire until you are sure. It’s a tough and dangerous job. Lets let the investigator do their job.
I can see your comparison with Ashley Babbitt smarter except that she didn’t even have a gun.
I never used to hear gunshots back in the 60s and it was safe to go out on New Year’s and enjoy the yard we pay taxes, insurance and payments for.
I’m near Houston, and shooting guns into the sky has been a traditional celebratory act in many (usually minority) neighborhoods for years. Announcements discouraging it are made all the time, but change is a difficult thing to accomplish. I seriously doubt the traditions will stop any time soon. Regardless, after watching the video and seeing what the cop did, there is NO EXCUSE for this officer. With no verbal warning, he fired his service weapon through a privacy fence KNOWING that his target was pot luck. He could not see who was there, and he had no idea who might be hit. If the situation had truly been a crime taking place, his chances of hitting the victim were equal to those of hitting the antagonist. I feel sorry for Potter who meant to tase a man but pulled her gun instead. That was tragic. THIS, this was just stupid.
HE certainly FAILED to follow his safety rules, #4 (BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET!)
There is no difference in shooting through a fence blindly and shooting up in the to the air knowing that bullet is going to come down and risk peoples lives. The laws should be enforced to stop this dangerous practice of shooting up in the air. It has taken away our rights as we have to stay inside on New Year’s because of these dangerous people who are actually criminals, they are committing an illegal act. When criminals get their way everyone is put in jeopardy and danger. The laws need to be enforced and these people need to stop shooting up in the air.
And people wonder why there is such a thing as “white flight?” We do not celebrate by shooting guns. We stay inside and can’t even be outside in the yards we pay payments, Insurance and taxes for and also pay for 80+ programs of welfare for low income people.Those bullets come down and no one can prove where they came from when the bullet kills or injures someone. This practice needs to be taken seriously by law-enforcement and brought to a stop.