Deontae Williams

Deontae L. Williams was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, born on November 8, 1995. At 19 years old, the African-American man was just at the start of his adult life when it was cut short by a burst of gunfire on a spring evening in 2015. His death left his family and community with unanswered questions that still linger years later. While public records about his personal life, work, or schooling are scarce, his family honored his memory with a funeral service and burial, a private testament to the young life they lost.

The evening of Thursday, April 23, 2015, was violent and decisive. Around 7:15 p.m., Cincinnati Police officers responded to reports of a shooting in the Roselawn neighborhood. They arrived at the 7800 block of Newbedford Avenue, a residential street about a block from Roselawn Condon Elementary School. There, they found Deontae suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency services rushed him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe. Deontae died at the hospital a short time later.

The Cincinnati Police Department’s Homicide Unit immediately launched an investigation into the city's latest killing. The initial hours of the investigation, however, proved challenging. Detectives canvassed the Roselawn neighborhood for witnesses and evidence, but details about what led to the shooting were not immediately clear. In one of the few public statements about the victim's final moments, police reported that Deontae was not cooperating with them before he succumbed to his injuries. This left investigators with few leads to follow in a case that quickly grew cold.

In the days following the shooting, police appealed to the public for assistance. No arrests were made, and no suspects were publicly identified. The investigation into Deontae Williams's death remains open but inactive, one of hundreds of unsolved homicides in Cincinnati that leave families waiting for justice. These cold cases are a persistent challenge for law enforcement, who periodically review them hoping that new technology or a witness's change of heart might provide a long-awaited breakthrough.

On Saturday, May 2, 2015, family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes to Deontae. A visitation was held at the James Temple Church of God In Christ on Lincoln Avenue, followed by a funeral service. He was later laid to rest at the Vine Street Hill Cemetery in Cincinnati. The services marked a somber conclusion to a life filled with potential, now silenced. His family was left to grieve and navigate a future without him, their loss compounded by the lack of resolution in his case.

Years have passed since Deontae Williams was killed, and his case has faded from public view. As of April 2015, no arrests have been made, and the circumstances surrounding his murder remain a mystery. The Cincinnati Police Department and Deontae's loved ones continue to hope that someone will come forward with the information needed to solve this crime. Anyone with information is urged to call the Cincinnati Police Department's Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040, where callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.