On the evening of July 30, 2015, 41-year-old Shakiem H.B. Williams was shot on Woodlow Street in the Crafton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Calls about multiple gunshots came in just before 9 p.m.; officers found Williams on the street and he was pronounced dead at 8:53 p.m. He was a son, brother, and father, and his family spent years without answers as the investigation stalled.

Detectives treated the case as a robbery that turned violent after Williams was believed to have been targeted for his belongings. Investigators recovered a piece of a dreadlock at the scene and Williams’ phone, which helped identify two persons of interest linked through contacts in New York. A major break came when DNA from that hair matched Aaron Cross’s profile after an unrelated 2019 arrest placed his DNA in a national database. That match led authorities to identify and charge suspects on murder, robbery, and conspiracy counts.

Anyone who knew Williams, witnessed the July 30, 2015 shooting, or has information about his movements that night is asked to come forward.