Martell Williams

A young man is fatally shot near a playground
Martell S. Williams Sr., a 22-year-old Black man known for his loving and funny personality, was a father, son, and brother. Born in Warren, Ohio, on January 18, 1996, to Pierre Williams Sr. and Nicole Oliver, Martell was a member of the New Jerusalem Fellowship Church. He attended Warren G. Harding High School and was remembered by loved ones as respectful, honest, and loyal. He left behind a young son, Martell Williams Jr., as well as his parents and several brothers and a sister who mourned his sudden and violent death.

In the early hours of Sunday, February 25, 2018, Martell was shot and killed in what investigators believe was a planned ambush. The shooting occurred near the playground area of the Stonegate Place apartment complex on Roberts Avenue NW, where he lived. Evidence gathered by police suggests that several suspects were aware of Martell's location and likely waited for him. Investigators believe the suspects may have been inside another resident's apartment before carrying out the attack.

The Warren Police Department was called to the scene to investigate the city's second homicide of the year. Witnesses reported seeing at least one of the suspects flee the area in a black, four-door Nissan immediately after the shooting. Despite the presence of potential witnesses at the apartment complex, few came forward with information. The investigation was later supported by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), which provides assistance in complex homicide cases.

In the days following his death, Martell's family and friends gathered to remember him. Funeral services were held on a Saturday at New Jerusalem Fellowship Church, where calling hours were held beforehand. He was laid to rest two days later at Oakwood Cemetery in Warren. The arrangements were handled by the Staton-Borowski Funeral Home. His death left a void in his community, with many taking to social media and memorial pages to share their grief and memories of a young man they called "Tellie Tell," who was gone too soon.

The investigation into Martell Williams' murder has remained active, though no arrests have been made. The case is listed on the Ohio Attorney General's Cold Case website, a public database of unsolved homicides, in the hopes that new leads will emerge. Detectives continue to believe that people in the community have information that could be crucial to solving the case and bringing those responsible to justice. The theory remains that Martell was intentionally targeted by his killers.

Years after the fatal shooting, the case remains unsolved. Martell’s family continues to wait for answers and for justice to be served. The Warren Police Department and the Ohio BCI continue to seek any information from the public that might help identify the individuals involved in the ambush. The lack of closure compounds the family's grief, a pain shared by many in a community that has seen too many lives cut short by gun violence. Law enforcement urges anyone with knowledge of the events that transpired at the Stonegate Place apartments on that February morning to come forward.