Shantell Denise Williams, 42, was shot and killed on March 14, 2017, in the 1600 block of Dock Street in Wilmington, North Carolina. Witnesses say her estranged boyfriend, Joseph Cornell Corbett III, approached her and opened fire. Shantell ran; Corbett chased her on foot and shot at her at least six times. After she fell, witnesses reported Corbett stood over her and fired at least one more shot before leaving in a gold-and-silver, four-door sedan. Shantell was pronounced dead at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

The relationship between Shantell and Corbett had a documented history of domestic violence. Shantell had been scheduled to appear in court the week of the shooting on an assault with a deadly weapon with serious injury charge tied to an incident on February 27, 2017. Corbett had sought a restraining order claiming she had shot him on two occasions. In May 2016, during a separation, Corbett was reportedly found hiding under Shantell’s sink with a gun; a shootout then occurred between Corbett and Shantell’s cousin, leaving both men critically injured and requiring emergency surgery. Charges were not filed in that 2016 incident, and the couple later reconciled.

Who in the community knew Shantell or saw events on Dock Street that day and can add detail?