Inset: Corey D. Williams Jr. (Milwaukee County Jail). Background: The area in Milwaukee where Williams allegedly killed his father (Google Maps).
An 18-year-old man in Wisconsin has been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing his 47-year-old father in front of the rest of their family just two weeks after the older man had kicked him out of his house.
Corey D. Williams Jr. was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of second-degree reckless homicide with a dangerous weapon, records show. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, officers with the Milwaukee Police Department at about 2:40 p.m. on July 2 responded to a 911 call at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of W. Atkinson Avenue regarding a reported shooting. The caller, Williams” grandmother, told the emergency dispatcher, “My grandson shot his daddy up there.”
Upon arriving at the address, first responders quickly located an adult male in the living room of an apartment who appeared to be suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his left arm, shoulder, chest, abdomen, and groin. The man — Corey Williams Sr. — was pronounced dead on the scene and a 9 mm handgun was collected from the floor near the body.
In an interview with police, Williams Jr.’s grandfather said that Williams Sr. had been caring for his children in the apartment after their mother was evicted. Earlier that day, the grandfather said he went to the store with Williams Sr. and took a nap. He was awoken by the sound of gunshots and went outside where he saw Williams Jr.’s mother and her children coming down the stairs from Williams Sr.’s apartment.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
“[Williams Jr.’s mother] was crying and said that she did not want her kid to go to jail,” the grandfather told police, per the affidavit. “He asked what happened and [Williams Jr.’s mother] said that Corey Williams Jr. shot his dad.”
When the grandfather saw Williams Jr. coming down the stairs and asked what happened, the 18-year-old allegedly said, “I shot him.”
Williams Jr. on July 3 spoke to detectives, telling them he used to live with his father in the apartment, but Williams Sr. had kicked him out about two weeks earlier. Williams Jr. then moved in with his sister.
Prior to the shooting, Williams Jr. said he went to his father’s apartment with his mother and brother to pick up the rest of their siblings, who were already at the apartment. While at the apartment, Williams Jr.’s parents began to argue, so Williams Jr. said he “butted in and told his dad to move around so that they could leave.” That is when the situation allegedly became violent.
“His dad grabbed him by the collar and began to force him around,” the affidavit states. “While this was happening his dad was holding a pistol in his hand. His dad was telling him to have respect and to shut up. His dad forced him onto a recliner chair and then towards the dining room area table. His mother and brother were trying to get his dad off of him. After his dad forced him over the table, he saw a pistol that was on the table. He said ‘and I grabbed it and I shoot him.’
Williams said he was not sure how many times he shot his father but told detectives he knew it was “more than five times.”
According to a report from Milwaukee Fox affiliate WIKI, prosecutors on Monday said it was not clear whether Williams Sr. ever had a gun.
Williams Jr. is currently being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $10,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 14.
