What Happened To Kenneth Williams Sr.?: Black Security Guard Killed By Police In Gary

Family members of 67-year-old security guard Kenneth Williams Sr. are demanding answers after he was fatally shot by police Friday night at a Gary, Indiana, transit station, according to an exclusive report from ABC 7 Chicago. On Aug. 28, Williams was working as an armed security guard at the Metro Center station near 4th Avenue and Broadway when officers opened fire, according to his relatives and investigators.

Kenneth Williams Sr. Gary, Indiana Shooting: What happened?

Indiana State Police said the agency was asked to investigate the officer-involved shooting, which involved officers from both the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the Gary Police Department. One person was killed, while no officers were injured, state police said.

According to ABC 7 News, officers were called to the station around 10:54 p.m. following reports of Williams displaying “unusual and erratic behavior.”

About 30 minutes later, at approximately 11:20 p.m., officers exchanged gunfire with Williams. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nine officers fired their weapons during the incident, according to Indiana State Police. Six of those officers were with the Gary Police Department, while three were members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

All of the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues.

Kenneth Williams Sr.’s family is struggling to make sense of the shooting.

Williams’ family said they are struggling to understand how a routine night at work ended with his death.

“He went to work as a normal day, you know, a 67-year-old man, and he didn’t come home from work. And I want to know why,” said Kenneth Williams Jr., the victim’s son, during an interview with ABC 7 Chicago.

His family said they want investigators to provide a clear explanation of what happened before the gunfire erupted.

Another son, Raymond Brown, said the lack of answers has made the loss even more difficult.

“It’s my birthday today, so I’m devastated. That’s all I can say right now. I ain’t got no answers. I just want answers,” Brown said.

Relatives told CBS Chicago in a separate interview that Williams was family-oriented and a people person. 

Investigators spent hours processing the area around the Metro station, marking and collecting evidence connected to the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing. 

Indiana State Police told ABC7 News:

“No other information is immediately available to be released.”

A forensic autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday at the Lake County Forensic Science Center in Crown Point, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. The preliminary cause and manner of death remain pending.

As the investigation continues, advocacy groups like Families Demanding Justice are calling for accountability and transparency from Gary, Indiana, officials. On Aug. 30, the national social justice network called out officers for the fatal shooting of Williams Sr., and noted that the incident happened just days after power returned to the city following a near two week blackout from the Aug. 11 storms.

“If the ongoing oppression of the Black masses of Gary, IN, left without power and in the dark for weeks due to storms and systematic neglect at the hands of the government, wasn’t enough, the pigs killed a Black man at work as soon as the lights started to turn back on,” they penned. “We stand with Kenneth’s family in their pursuit of truth and justice in his murder. We demand that the pigs who gunned down Kenneth be named, charged, and jailed for his murder.”

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