Billy Pumkin Williams, 47, was fatally shot on September 26, 2024, shortly after 5 p.m. in the 3400 block of Wilson Street in Oakland’s Dimond District. He was standing with or near a group of people when a masked assailant fired multiple rounds, striking Williams and a nearby car; no other injuries were reported. Witnesses or investigators say the shooter fled on foot to a waiting vehicle and escaped.

About two months before the killing Williams had begun working for the Beautification Council, a nonprofit led by Ken Houston that cleans homeless encampments and streets in Oakland and Alameda County. Houston described Williams as responsible and punctual and said he was trying to rebuild his life after a decade-long incarceration. Williams had also suffered recent personal tragedies: his son was killed by gun violence in Oakland the previous year and his 19-year-old daughter was battling cancer at the time of his death. Investigators say Williams had a heated cellphone conversation about 15 minutes before he was shot; no motive has been determined and no arrests have been announced.

Anyone who was in the Dimond District near Wilson Street that evening or who has information about the masked shooter or the vehicle seen leaving the scene is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department.