Broncos' Williams Killed in Drive-By Shooting
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Broncos' Williams Killed in Drive-By Shooting
Incident Happens Just Hours After Team Eliminated
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP
DENVER (Jan. 1) - Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting early Monday, his limousine sprayed with bullets in downtown Denver just hours after the team was elimated from the NFL playoffs.
New Year's Tragedy Strikes Broncos
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Watch Video: Williams Killed in Apparent Drive-By Shooting
Post Your Thoughts: Talk About the Tragedy
Team spokesman Jim Saccomano said police called him about 3 a.m. from the scene and told him three people had been shot, and the 24-year-old Williams had been killed.
A little after 2 a.m., a white Hummer limousine was fired on from a vehicle that pulled up along its side, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. As many as a dozen bullet holes were visible on the driver's side of the vehicle.
Three people in the limo were hit and were taken to hospitals, where one man was pronounced dead, Jackson said. The other man and woman who were shot were not identified.
Jackson said police were searching for suspects and interviewing witnesses.
"We have no motive yet," Jackson said. "We're hoping to talk with witnesses to find out where they were coming from, and that might give us some clues."
Saccomano said he spoke with coach Mike Shanahan and others in the organization. Hours earlier, the Broncos lost to San Francisco 26-23 in overtime.
"Complete shock. We're speechless. It takes words away. A terrible tragedy," Saccomano said.
"He had a big heart and a lot of courage," said Cedric Smith, assistant strength and conditioning coach. "It's a tragedy, a complete tragedy. It's sickening."
Williams teamed with Bailey to give Denver one of the top cornerback tandems in the NFL. Williams finished the season with 88 tackles, 78 of them solo, and four interceptions.
Williams had a tough youth but straightened out in college, said his high-school football coach, Anthony Criss.
"When he was younger, he always gravitated to the wrong crowd," said Criss, who coached Williams for three seasons at O.D. Wyatt High in Fort Worth and continued to speak regularly with Williams. "I remember he went to church and the minister was talking to him about needing to pray and stop hanging around with the wrong people, and he started straightening up and doing the right thing."
Williams matured at Oklahoma State, turning his eye toward a professional football career, Criss said.
"I visited him his junior year, and he was grown," Criss said. "Everything was, `Yes, sir. No, sir."
Players and coaches are off Monday. They were scheduled to meet Tuesday before heading home for the offseason.
On Sunday against the 49ers, Williams had three tackles and returned two punts for 50 yards before leaving the game with a shoulder injury late in the second half. After the game he said he was planning to wait a few weeks before determining if he needed an operation.
In December, Williams spoke of his desire to return to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, this offseason to talk to kids about staying out of gangs.
Williams, a second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State in 2005, made an immediate impact on the Broncos. He started nine times in his rookie season following a stellar college career.
The white stretch Hummer limousine sat in a snowbank beside Speer Boulevard, a main street through downtown Denver. On the driver's side, at least three bullet holes were visible near the front, and four more near the back. One window was blown out and four others had bullet holes.
Police and evidence technicians worked amid snow and ice from recent storms, using small tent-like yellow plastic markers to indicate possible pieces of evidence.
Incident Happens Just Hours After Team Eliminated
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP
DENVER (Jan. 1) - Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting early Monday, his limousine sprayed with bullets in downtown Denver just hours after the team was elimated from the NFL playoffs.
New Year's Tragedy Strikes Broncos
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch Video: Williams Killed in Apparent Drive-By Shooting
Post Your Thoughts: Talk About the Tragedy
Team spokesman Jim Saccomano said police called him about 3 a.m. from the scene and told him three people had been shot, and the 24-year-old Williams had been killed.
A little after 2 a.m., a white Hummer limousine was fired on from a vehicle that pulled up along its side, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. As many as a dozen bullet holes were visible on the driver's side of the vehicle.
Three people in the limo were hit and were taken to hospitals, where one man was pronounced dead, Jackson said. The other man and woman who were shot were not identified.
Jackson said police were searching for suspects and interviewing witnesses.
"We have no motive yet," Jackson said. "We're hoping to talk with witnesses to find out where they were coming from, and that might give us some clues."
Saccomano said he spoke with coach Mike Shanahan and others in the organization. Hours earlier, the Broncos lost to San Francisco 26-23 in overtime.
"Complete shock. We're speechless. It takes words away. A terrible tragedy," Saccomano said.
"He had a big heart and a lot of courage," said Cedric Smith, assistant strength and conditioning coach. "It's a tragedy, a complete tragedy. It's sickening."
Williams teamed with Bailey to give Denver one of the top cornerback tandems in the NFL. Williams finished the season with 88 tackles, 78 of them solo, and four interceptions.
Williams had a tough youth but straightened out in college, said his high-school football coach, Anthony Criss.
"When he was younger, he always gravitated to the wrong crowd," said Criss, who coached Williams for three seasons at O.D. Wyatt High in Fort Worth and continued to speak regularly with Williams. "I remember he went to church and the minister was talking to him about needing to pray and stop hanging around with the wrong people, and he started straightening up and doing the right thing."
Williams matured at Oklahoma State, turning his eye toward a professional football career, Criss said.
"I visited him his junior year, and he was grown," Criss said. "Everything was, `Yes, sir. No, sir."
Players and coaches are off Monday. They were scheduled to meet Tuesday before heading home for the offseason.
On Sunday against the 49ers, Williams had three tackles and returned two punts for 50 yards before leaving the game with a shoulder injury late in the second half. After the game he said he was planning to wait a few weeks before determining if he needed an operation.
In December, Williams spoke of his desire to return to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, this offseason to talk to kids about staying out of gangs.
Williams, a second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State in 2005, made an immediate impact on the Broncos. He started nine times in his rookie season following a stellar college career.
The white stretch Hummer limousine sat in a snowbank beside Speer Boulevard, a main street through downtown Denver. On the driver's side, at least three bullet holes were visible near the front, and four more near the back. One window was blown out and four others had bullet holes.
Police and evidence technicians worked amid snow and ice from recent storms, using small tent-like yellow plastic markers to indicate possible pieces of evidence.
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Comments
<< <i>I am very interested in the rest of the story when information comes available...which it will. >>
It is interesting. Hits such as these are basically almost never accidents. So the killers had to be tipped off about them being in that limo - it was obviously carefully planned.
Was Williams just an innocent victim with the bullets actually intended for others in the limo? I doubt it based on some of the comments in the article. Based on little information, at this point I have to presume the target was Williams.
A drug deal of some sort gone awry for whatever reason? Probably.
Perhaps a gambling type situation whereby Williams was supposed to do something in the game to the order of whoever was paying him to do it, and Williams didn't do it to their satisfaction? Possibly.
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JS
Perhaps a gambling type situation whereby Williams was supposed to do something in the game to the order of whoever was paying him to do it, and Williams didn't do it to their satisfaction? Possibly.
I agree. There was nothin random about this hit. We may never learn the full truth of the matter, but this guy was obviously involved with some bad news characters.
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<< <i>A drug deal of some sort gone awry for whatever reason? Probably.
Perhaps a gambling type situation whereby Williams was supposed to do something in the game to the order of whoever was paying him to do it, and Williams didn't do it to their satisfaction? Possibly.
I agree. There was nothin random about this hit. We may never learn the full truth of the matter, but this guy was obviously involved with some bad news characters. >>
It's interesting that many times these players because of the money they make, the "notion" is that they are immune to this sort of thing. But even to an athlete making a million dollars a year or more, say after taxes that's $500,000.....making a quick $50,000 or $100,000 or so cash on a drug deal or gambling fix can sure look alluring.
Of course the athletes "never" figure they'll be caught or that anything will go wrong. The "deal" always seems so quick & easy when discussing it with buddies in the living room, then sometime later they windup in jail or shot dead.
<< <i> A drug deal of some sort gone awry for whatever reason? Probably.
Perhaps a gambling type situation whereby Williams was supposed to do something in the game to the order of whoever was paying him to do it, and Williams didn't do it to their satisfaction? Possibly.
>>
Both those scenarios sound a bit far fetched to me.
More likely he or the people he was with just happened to piss off the wrong people in a bar.
Happens every night across America. Usually it's not someone famous so you don't hear much about it ...
"How about a little fire Scarecrow ?"
I doubt this was a planned shooting since peppering a Hummer limo with bullets doesn't take too much preparation.
Tell that to Biggie Smalls or Tupac Shakur...
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<< <i>Darrent Williams may have been involved in bad things, but I will not be surprised if the reason for this shooting is a stupid bar fight.
I doubt this was a planned shooting since peppering a Hummer limo with bullets doesn't take too much preparation. >>
Being from Philly, there are sometimes news stories from mob informants detailing various mob hits which describe "preparation" involved in shooting someone from car to car.....such as knowing their schedule, knowing the right vehicle, knowing the path of the vehicle and knowing some other information to make sure that the hit goes "smoothly." These type of hits do sometimes "fail" for various reasons but the ease of getting away from the scene of a crime with no witnesses being able to really clearly identify the killers because they are in a car, makes this type of hit appealing to organized crime.
I would think that virtually all "bar fights" happen either in the bar or outside in the parking lot. "After the fight" could the "angry" killers have driven around and somehow "found" this limousine in traffic? That is unlikely, but possible. It was New Years Eve so a "bar fight" scenario is plausible. Of course it's all speculation and we'll just have to see what other facts come about.
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1. Anyone seen his MySpace account? Seems like a fine upstanding citizen.
2. He even admitted that he hung out with the "wrong crowd" and "thugs" and wanted to some clean.
3. He's 24 and had two kids, a 7 year old and 4 year old I believe. So I have to ask - what is a father of two doing in a limo with another female at 2 am instead of being at home with his kids and being a good father? Even if the kids did not live in CO, why not set a good example?
Like I stated, I don't want to jump to conclusions, and I hope his kids can revover from such an event
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"Admitting" it is one thing, but really doing something about it is something else.
When talking about "thugs" in this day and age...that often implies those dealing with narcotics, gambling or prostitution...or certainly some type of organized crime on some scale.
Every news article that I've read and news report that I've seen indicate the shooting was just another senseless act we see way too much of nowadays. Take a look at your local newspaper. If you live in a semi-large city, I'll bet you probably had more than one murder between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day occur in your area.
It looks like Williams and his friends went out to celebrate the New Year, there was some sort scuffle and Williams and his party left. Unfortunately for him, the people who felt "disrespected" followed and had guns.
People used to settle disputes with their fists or knives. Now they do it with guns.
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<< <i>A hit? Drug deal gone bad? Fixing games? I think some people have been watching too much television with bad plots.
Every news article that I've read and news report that I've seen indicate the shooting was just another senseless act we see way too much of nowadays. Take a look at your local newspaper. If you live in a semi-large city, I'll bet you probably had more than one murder between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day occur in your area.
It looks like Williams and his friends went out to celebrate the New Year, there was some sort scuffle and Williams and his party left. Unfortunately for him, the people who felt "disrespected" followed and had guns.
People used to settle disputes with their fists or knives. Now they do it with guns. >>
<<< A hit? Drug deal gone bad? Fixing games? I think some people have been watching too much television with bad plots. >>>
And "some people" must be from Boise where things like this don't happen. LOL
GO MARLINS! Home of the best fans in baseball!!
But hey, if you have any real evidence pointing to Williams' murder as a hit, drug deal gone bad or point shaving scandal, please feel free to share it with us!
GO MARLINS! Home of the best fans in baseball!!
<< <i>Actually, I'm from New York City. You're from Philly right? You guys get running water down there yet?
Congrats on being a terrific Monday Morning quarterback and making comments after other articles have been written about the incident. Any predictions on who might win the 2006 mid-term elections? LOL
Broncos' Williams Shot to Death in Colo.
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) -- Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed early Monday when his white stretch Hummer was sprayed by bullets after a nightclub dispute following a New Year's Eve party.
Police have no motive and no indication the 24-year-old player was targeted in the drive-by shooting of the limousine. The burst of violence occurred hours after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention.
"All of us are devastated by this tragedy," Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement. "To lose a young player, and more important, a great young man such as Darrent Williams, is incomprehensible. To lose him in such a senseless manner as this is beyond words."
A little after 2 a.m., the limousine was fired on from a vehicle that pulled up along its side, hitting three people, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. As many as a dozen bullet holes were visible on the driver's side of the vehicle. One window was blown out.
A man and a woman, Brandon Flowers and Nicole Reindl, were wounded. They were taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital.
Coach Mike Shanahan said the killing left him "speechless with sadness."
"We all know that Darrent was an excellent player, but as a person, he was a first-class young man who brightened every room with his smile, attitude and personality," Shanahan said. "I cannot express how heartsick I feel at this loss."
Jackson said there was a dispute at a nightclub several blocks from the shooting where Williams and his group had attended a party. He said the argument didn't specifically involve Williams, according to witnesses, and the confrontation wasn't physical, just taunts. He also said there were no shots fired from inside the limo.
"Why this happened, we're not sure," Jackson said.
Police were searching for a white Suburban or Tahoe with dark-tinted windows. Jackson wouldn't identify any of the other passengers nor would he confirm whether any other Broncos players were in the limo, which can hold 23 people.
The club identified by police advertised a New Year's Eve event celebrating the birthday of Denver Nuggets basketball player Kenyon Martin. The Nuggets canceled practice Monday.
Martin told The Denver Post that he and several Nuggets left the nightclub before midnight, before any problems arose. "I was there. He was there. I left. I saw him. That was about the extent of it," Martin told the newspaper.
Mark Warkentien, Denver's vice president of basketball operations, said police spoke with him but asked him not to comment. "We'll respectfully honor their request," Warkentien said. "And if the Denver police need us in any way, we'll cooperate fully."
The club - variously called Shelter or Safari - is on the second floor of a building in a once-seedy stretch south of downtown that has a growing number of trendy bars, clubs and restaurants. Outside, the building was unmarked except for a big sign from a former occupant, Jonas Bros Furs. Inside, the ceiling was strung with Christmas lights and set off with several fireplaces.
Hours after the shooting, the limo sat in a snowbank beside Speer Boulevard, a main street through downtown. Police and technicians worked amid snow and ice from recent storms, using small yellow plastic markers to indicate possible evidence.
"His heart was so big, he was always giving to those who didn't have," said Williams' mother, Rosalind Williams, who flew to Denver from Fort Worth. "It didn't even have to be for an agency or a charity. If he knew you didn't have, he'd hand it out of his pocket."
The previous active NFL player to die was Thomas Herrion of San Francisco. He had a heart attack following an exhibition game in Denver on Aug. 20, 2005.
Williams was a second-round draft choice in 2005 out of Oklahoma State and teamed with Champ Bailey to give Denver one of the NFL's top cornerback tandems. Williams finished the season with 88 tackles, 78 of them solo, and four interceptions.
His college coach, Mike Gundy, called the death a "tragic loss for the Broncos family, Oklahoma State University and anyone who knew Darrent Williams. It's a loss that goes far beyond the football field."
Players and coaches didn't have to report to work Monday but about 20 of them gathered at team headquarters to console each other, including receiver Javon Walker, who was in the limo when Williams was killed, according to several Denver media organizations.
Walker, who declined to speak with reporters, appeared to have blood spattered across his shirt when he arrived at the Broncos' facilities.
"Any time you lose a guy who was close to everyone, it hurts," punter Paul Ernster said. "From the get-go, he was like one of your good friends."
Anthony Criss, Williams' high school football coach in Fort Worth, Texas, said: "When he was younger, he always gravitated to the wrong crowd. I remember he went to church and the minister was talking to him about needing to pray and stop hanging around with the wrong people, and he started straightening up and doing the right thing."
In December, Williams spoke of returning to his hometown this offseason to talk to youngsters about staying out of gangs. Williams, who has two young children in the Fort Worth area, recently talked to Criss about establishing a free football camp for youth players.
"He wanted to be a good parent, a good father, a good example for his kids," Criss said. "He will be missed."
Williams' family was trying to arrange a funeral Saturday at the Great Commission Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
Last April, Nuggets guard Julius Hodge was shot while driving on Interstate 76 in Denver. In 2003, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, who played at Colorado State, was shot outside a Denver sports bar.
"Since then, I carry myself in a different type of way," Porter said Monday. "I respect my situation whenever I go out. I take a whole different outlook when I go out. I make sure I feel like I'm safe and if I'm not, I'm not going."
<< <i>But if you want to talk seriously about life in the "big city," and if you grew up in Philly and ever went to clubs or a party as a young adult, I'm sure you or some of your friends witnessed a tussle or two, right?
But hey, if you have any real evidence pointing to Williams' murder as a hit, drug deal gone bad or point shaving scandal, please feel free to share it with us! >>
Again...good for you....you got it right after reading more about it or seeing it on ESPN. You'd make a good parrot. LOL
I guess if I came up with an original theory like, "Darrent Williams was killed by alien controlled robots," I'd look like a genius in your eyes.
So when Joey Porter was shot in the butt in a Denver nightclub a few years ago, did you also say he was probably shot over a drug deal gone bad? Or did you say he was shot because he was point shaving?
GO MARLINS! Home of the best fans in baseball!!
Steve
I appreciate the Sports Talk forum is a place where almost "anything goes." But we're talking about a guy that was just murdered a few days ago. He hasn't even been buried yet and I just think it's wrong that we talk about how he might have been involved in a drug deal or something like that when there's no evidence pointing to this. Now if it turns out he was murdered over point shaving or drug dealing later on, I'll be the first to apologize.
I don't know much about Darrent Williams, but watching the footage of his mother and family members he was taken from, it was heartbreaking. Williams went out to celebrate New Years like so many of us have done in the past and continue to do. There's no reason why he should've been gunned down like that.
Anyway, that's just my 2 cents.
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That is not analysis or even a prediction. That is making a morals judgement on someone's death.
All we knew at the time of the shooting is that a 24 year old, black, NFL player was shot in limo in a drive by in the early morning after a party. I have no idea how that became a drug or point shaving conspiracy. It was New Year's Eve, I don't think being out that evening in limo is reckless behavior. I would be more concerned with the drunks driving on the road rather than someone in a limo.
The only thing Williams is guilty of is riding in a limo with someone who p*ssed off the wrong guy.
<< <i>Steve,
I appreciate the Sports Talk forum is a place where almost "anything goes." But we're talking about a guy that was just murdered a few days ago. He hasn't even been buried yet and I just think it's wrong that we talk about how he might have been involved in a drug deal or something like that when there's no evidence pointing to this. Now if it turns out he was murdered over point shaving or drug dealing later on, I'll be the first to apologize.
I don't know much about Darrent Williams, but watching the footage of his mother and family members he was taken from, it was heartbreaking. Williams went out to celebrate New Years like so many of us have done in the past and continue to do. There's no reason why he should've been gunned down like that.
Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. >>
Absolutely agree - quite a tragic incident. We both being from major cities have seen our fair share of these types of events, if not in person, then for sure in the newspapers or on TV.
I've been to numerous nightclubs and bars over the years mostly in Philly, and even a few in New York City. I of course can't speak for the incident at all, but it seems in almost every bar, almost every night, there's always that "one guy" looking for trouble for whatever reason. Some guys just "enjoy" that type of behavior. You must quickly develop the "sense" to avoid these types of people because if you don't, something bad will usually happen. You also must learn to avoid hanging around with "thugs" who sooner or later will lead you into trouble - not a question of "if" but "when."
That was the "background" for my comments. Whether it be drugs, gambling, or just hanging around with people looking for trouble, then trouble will often find you and unfortunately it did find Williams. It's a shame that bullet didn't miss him and he probably no doubt would have stopped hanging around with those "thugs" - that would have been his wakeup call.
Life can be cruel but by makling good decisions we can negate some of that. If we place ourselves in harm's way, then harm is more likely to come our way. Hopefully some other athletes out there will learn from this incident, but probably not. It can be tough to give up old friends we grew up with who are a bad influence. But we do have choices in life and Williams it could be said made the wrong choice in this regard.
<< <i>Some of the opinions expressed on this thread are along the lines that Williams deserved to be shot because he was into something shady or hung around shady people.
That is not analysis or even a prediction. That is making a morals judgement on someone's death.
All we knew at the time of the shooting is that a 24 year old, black, NFL player was shot in limo in a drive by in the early morning after a party. I have no idea how that became a drug or point shaving conspiracy. It was New Year's Eve, I don't think being out that evening in limo is reckless behavior. I would be more concerned with the drunks driving on the road rather than someone in a limo.
The only thing Williams is guilty of is riding in a limo with someone who p*ssed off the wrong guy. >>
<<< That is making a morals judgement on someone's death. >>>
I think my previous post speaks towards this. No "moral judgement" on my part. The facts are that some athletes have been involved in drugs, point shaving and other illegal activities. When somebody gets shot like this, it would be quite naive not to place these possibilities on the table.
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1. When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down
2. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, Chuck Norris can actually roundhouse kick you yesterday
3. There are no such things as lesbians, just women who have not yet met Chuck Norris
Watched Inside the NFL on HBO last night.
Apparently Darrent Williams didn't have a temper and was considered a peace maker.
He just happened to be sitting in the wrong place at the right time.
Shots were fired randomly at the limo for whatever reason and he died in the arms of his teammate Javon Walker.
"How about a little fire Scarecrow ?"