5 key details about La'Kyijah Williams' murder
All Access PD: Grand Rapids season 1 episode 6 explores in detail La'Kyijah Williams' death in a shooting incident. 15-year-old Williams was shot and killed by a masked gunman, but despite CCTV footage, no arrest could be made for a long time. Moreover, even witnesses were initially reluctant to cooperate with authorities and give a name.
It was only when an anonymous tip came to the authorities that the suspect could be arrested at a traffic stop. All Access PD: Grand Rapids is bringing to viewers the full case of La'Kyijah Williams' death, the investigations that followed, and what happened after that. The episode airs tomorrow, May 13, 2025.
5 details about the death of La'Kyijah Williams
1) When did the shooting incident occur?
La'Kyijah Williams was only 15 years old when she was shot and killed while riding a scooter in downtown Grand Rapids on May 18, 2024. She was shot near a parking garage and a building, near Studio Park.
Williams is mourned by her family and her sister, Lamia Foster, who remembers her (as reported by Fox 17):
“My favorite memory is when I showed her my birth video, and she just started gagging. Like just gagging. Would not stop gagging. She came to the hospital with my baby. She would not hold my baby because she was like, ‘it’s too small, it’s too small."
La'Kyijah's other sister, Dayveiannah London, also mourned her death, saying that her passing had not sunk in yet with the family.
2) What did the Grand Rapids Police Chief have to say about the incident?
According to authorities, the shooting was random and happened when she was hanging out with a group of friends downtown. It was likely that the shooter was targeting the group and not her specifically, according to Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, who further said (as reported by Fox 17):
"That’s one of the dangers of gunfire. Especially when there’s gunfire downtown. When there’s so many people out. One of the things I say a lot is how dangerous handguns are, and the distance a bullet can travel and be deadly. The fear that an innocent child will get struck by a bullet. And whether she was the intended target or not,..a 15-year-old girl is dead."
La'Kyijah Williams was shot in the head, and she succumbed to her injuries soon after.
3) Five witnesses were found
Following the harrowing incident, the family called for justice, and the police urged anyone with information to contact Silent Observer to help with any leads on the case. Police Chief Winstrom even played a short clip of six seconds, which showed five youngsters who were estimated to be around 12 years of age and who were in the area of the murder when it took place, as per a Fox 17 report.
In the video, five people could be seen walking past a first-floor security camera near 120 Ottawa. The CCTV footage was from May 18, 2024,11:36 PM, which was immediately after the murder. According to Winstrom, the children were around when the murder happened and could help with any leads.
4) The arrest of Josiah Tyree Pittman
Four months after the death of La'Kyijah Williams, 18-year-old Josiah Tyree Pittman was charged with the murder on September 23, 2024. He was arraigned on charges of second-degree murder and felony firearm.
According to Fox 17, witness statements and video surveillance helped investigators zero in on Pittman as the prime suspect. Pittman denied his involvement in the incident. He was arraigned in Kent County 61st District Court after a virtual trial.
5) The shooting was not a random act of violence
According to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker, the shooting was not random, but La'Kyijah Williams was not the intended target. As per MLive.com, the prosecutor said:
“This was not a random act of violence. There was a target. Miss Williams was not the target. She was downtown minding her own business and got hit in a tragic set of circumstances. ”
However, Becker and Winstrom did not make any comment regarding who the intended target was.
Catch All Access PD: Grand Rapids on Investigation Discovery tomorrow.
