William P. Hardy, 54, was shot and killed inside his son’s home on Whitney Place in Cheektowaga on April 3, 2017. Hardy had travelled from Fairfield, California, to visit his son; he was an Army veteran and described as a mentor and coach in his community.

Investigators arrested his 31-year-old son, Sirwilliam Hardy, charging him with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Psychiatric evaluations for both sides found Sirwilliam Hardy was suffering from a significant mental disease or defect at the time of the killing. In June 2018 a judge ruled he was dangerously mentally ill and ordered commitment to a secure psychiatric facility for treatment.

Friends and family were left confronting how a close father-son relationship ended in violence. If anyone knew William Hardy or has information about his visit to Cheektowaga in April 2017, please share what you know.