Kenneth Williams

Kenneth Williams was a devoted father to a one-year-old girl who lived in Manhattan’s Fulton Houses. Neighbors described the 31-year-old Black man as nice, intelligent, and caring. One friend recalled that he was not a bad person, did not bother anyone, and stayed to himself, adding, "He loved his daughter."

On the night of Tuesday, March 8, 2022, Williams was with a friend near the corner of West 19th Street and Ninth Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood. Around 10 p.m., a gunman opened fire on the two men. Eyewitnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots. One neighbor heard someone yell, “Help! Help me!” before coming downstairs to find Williams on the ground with a lot of blood. Another witness saw the gunman casually walk away from the scene.

Williams had been shot in the abdomen, and his 27-year-old friend was struck in the right arm. Medics arrived and rushed both men to Bellevue Hospital. The younger man was treated for his injuries and survived. Kenneth Williams was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators soon determined that Williams was an innocent bystander caught in the middle of a romantic dispute. Police believed the gunman’s intended target was Williams's 27-year-old friend, who was reportedly in a new relationship with the shooter's ex-girlfriend.

Two days later, on Thursday, March 10, 2022, the NYPD’s Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested a suspect in the Bronx. Tyrell Rodgers, a 28-year-old man, was charged with murder, attempted murder, and weapon possession. As of March 2022, Rodgers was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.