Charles Williams Sr., 49, was shot and killed on February 26, 2025, inside an apartment building near North 27th Street and West Highland Avenue in Milwaukee. Williams had been helping Terry Jefferson move into an apartment that afternoon. What began as a move turned violent in a second-floor hallway when officers already in the building for an unrelated search heard a rapid series of gunshots and found Williams lying in a pool of blood near the elevator.

Witnesses reported an initial gunshot followed by about six or seven more. One resident saw Jefferson standing over Williams holding a black semiautomatic handgun and first claim Williams shot himself, then say Williams tried to grab his gun. Ring camera footage reportedly shows Jefferson standing over Williams after the first shot. Investigators recovered a black Taurus .45-caliber handgun and eight spent .45-caliber casings in the hallway; ballistic and blood evidence were concentrated near the elevator.

Jefferson told detectives he fired because he believed Williams was trying to take his gun, and acknowledged firing the shots while also saying he never saw Williams holding a weapon. Prosecutors charged Jefferson with first-degree intentional homicide while using a dangerous weapon; he made a court appearance March 2, 2025, with bond set at $200,000 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 11.

Does anyone have information about Williams, his movements that day, or additional witnesses who saw what happened in the building?