Patrolman Don Williams

Don Williams

Patrolman Don Williams died on January 29, 1998, from wounds he suffered on December 26, 1997.

While he was moonlighting as a security guard at a local comedy club, a man who he had ejected returned and opened fire on him. The suspect shot Patrolman Williams at pointblank range with an unknown caliber handgun. The round passed through his neck, severing his spinal column, which left him paralyzed. He was admitted to the hospital in critical but stable condition.

The suspect was convicted and on July 15, 1999, he was sentenced to death, however, he was granted a retrial in April 2012. His new trial ended with a hung jury. He agreed to plead guilty to second degree murder and was released from prison in May of 2013.

On January 28, 2016, he was convicted of attempted second degree murder, numerous weapons charges, and sentenced to life. The convictions were the result of an incident two years earlier in Memphis where he shot at a rival and hit a 14-year-old boy wounding him seriously.

Patrolman Williams is survived by his wife and three children.