Yancey Williams was 36 when he was killed late on a Sunday in March 2020 after attending a firefighters gathering in Flora, Mississippi. Williams, a lieutenant with the Jackson Fire Department, left the event with a man identified as Terrance Watts; the two had recently learned they were cousins. They stopped at a Marathon gas station, where an argument between them escalated and Watts fatally shot Williams with a semi-automatic handgun. After the shooting Watts fled in Williams’ vehicle.

The Jackson Police Department identified Watts as the primary suspect and arrested him the following day; he was charged with first-degree murder. The case is notable for the familial connection between victim and accused and for how quickly a social meeting turned deadly. Anyone who was at the gathering that night or who saw Williams and Watts together near the gas station is asked to come forward with information.