William Morris

On the cold night of January 2, 2023, gunshots echoed through the 1200 block of Seymour Avenue in Utica, New York. When police arrived around 10:30 p.m., they found two men with gunshot wounds. One of them was William Morris, a 25-year-old Black man from Utica. He had been shot in the head and was rushed to a hospital, but he died from his injuries. The second victim, who was shot in the abdomen, was taken into surgery and was expected to survive.

The investigation began immediately. Patrol officers in the area had heard the shots and spotted a light green minivan, the only car on the street, driving erratically away from the scene. The officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver sped off. After a brief pursuit, the minivan came to an abrupt stop on the 1100 block of Seymour Avenue, and three males jumped out and fled on foot.

Officers chased after the fleeing men and managed to apprehend one of them, 19-year-old Abdulkadir Ali, as he ran through backyards. Near where Ali was taken into custody, police recovered a loaded 9mm handgun. He was initially charged with criminal possession of a weapon. The Utica Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office continued to investigate for the next several months.

In May 2023, an Oneida County Grand Jury returned indictments against two teenagers. Abdulkadir Ali, who police identified as the alleged shooter, was charged with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a firearm. The alleged getaway driver, 19-year-old Issa Ali, was also indicted on a charge of second-degree murder for his role in the shooting. Both men were held in the Oneida County jail.

The case reached a conclusion later that year. In November 2023, a Utica man was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with the fatal shooting of William Morris.