Dontrez Willams, a 20-year-old African American man from Chicago who had been staying in Decatur and planned to move there permanently, was found dead in a parking lot in Decatur, Illinois, on September 7, 2019. Officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 1200 block of North Edward Street and discovered Willams with a fatal gunshot wound to the head; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Macon County Coroner, Michael Day, and an autopsy by the Mclean County Coroner’s office both attributed his death to a single penetrating gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators say Willams had been attending a party that night in a building on North Edward Street where illegal gambling was occurring inside and on the sidewalk; witnesses reported the shooting happened around 1 a.m. during the event. Police launched a criminal investigation and later arrested a suspect identified as Woodland, who was believed to have fatally shot Willams. Authorities continue to seek information to clarify the circumstances surrounding the killing.

If anyone attended the party or has information about what happened that night, please share tips with the Decatur Police Department.