Gary, Ind. — The family of 67-year-old Kenneth Williams is seeking answers after the longtime Gary man was fatally shot during a confrontation with police officers near the Gary Metro Center Friday night.
Williams was working as an armed security guard near 4th Avenue and Broadway when officers responded to a report that he was behaving unusually and erratically, according to Indiana State Police.
The incident unfolded late Friday, Aug. 28. Police were called to the area at about 10:54 p.m., and investigators say officers attempted to de-escalate the situation. About 11:20 p.m., gunfire was exchanged between Williams and responding officers.
Williams was pronounced dead at the scene.
Indiana State Police said nine officers fired their weapons during the confrontation. Six of the officers were with the Gary Police Department, while three were with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. None of the officers was reported injured, and all nine were placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues.
The shooting left a large crime scene around the Metro Center area. Investigators placed more than 100 evidence markers around the scene as they worked to document what happened. A nearby garbage container was also struck by multiple bullets.
For Williams’ family, the circumstances surrounding his death remain difficult to understand.
His sons said Williams had gone to work as usual that evening. The family did not initially know what had happened and later received a call asking them to identify his body.
Williams was remembered by his sons as a family-oriented man who spent a great deal of time with his children and grandchildren. His family described him as a father, grandfather and great-grandfather who was close to those around him.
“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,” his son Kenneth Williams Jr. said.
Another son, Raymond Brown, also spoke publicly about the family’s lack of information following the shooting.
Witness Kristin Lindsey said she was in the area when she heard a large number of gunshots. She described seeing several officers with their firearms drawn before the shooting began.
The number of rounds fired remains one of the questions surrounding the investigation. A witness estimated hearing roughly 100 shots, while investigators continue working to determine exactly what happened during the exchange of gunfire.
Former Chicago Police Department first deputy superintendent Anthony Riccio cautioned against drawing conclusions before investigators establish how many shots were fired by Williams and how many were fired by officers.
The Indiana State Police investigation remains active. Investigators are expected to examine evidence from the scene, officer accounts and available video as they work to establish the sequence of events leading to the fatal shooting.
For Williams’ family, the investigation is now the focus as they wait for more information about what led to the confrontation and why the situation ended with the death of a 67-year-old man who had gone to work that night.
No officers have been reported injured in the incident, and the officers involved remain on administrative leave while the investigation proceeds.
