Brandon Jerome Williams, a 40-year-old African American man, was shot and killed at the WoodSpring Suites Austin, 11105 N. Interstate 35, on March 28, 2021. Austin 911 received a report at about 11:36 a.m.; officers found Williams with gunshot wounds and he died at Dell Seton Medical Center less than an hour later. The Travis County Medical Examiner confirmed his death was due to those gunshot wounds.

Police identified Jose Angel Negrete Jr. as a person of interest and arrested him on March 29, 2021, on an outstanding first-degree murder warrant. According to the arrest affidavit, Negrete Jr. and Williams knew each other and Negrete Jr. went to the hotel to deliver marijuana. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Negrete Jr. entering with a handgun in his waistband, leaving with the gun in his hand, dropping it on the stairwell, then picking it up before exiting. APD classified the shooting as Austin’s 19th homicide of 2021 and asked the public for tips; a $1,000 reward was offered for information leading to arrest.

Did anyone in Austin know Brandon Williams or have information about what happened at the hotel that morning?