Delani K. Williams

Family and friends of Delani K. Williams want the community to know the 25-year-old was a caring father and family man. Their recollection of him comes days after he was identified in the OBSERVER as the shooting victim last month in the city of Dunkirk.

“He actually got to the point where he wanted to raise a family and wanted to try to turn his life around to be a productive person in society,” said Harrison Williams, his father. “Slowly, he was starting to do that.”

Shortly before 10 p.m. June 11, Dunkirk officers responded to a shooting and located the younger Williams who was suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was transported to Brooks-TLC Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

“Our family has been destroyed,” his father said. “We’re in pieces.”

Earlier this week, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt noted though the investigation is continuing, no arrest has been made. “We identified a person of interest the morning of the homicide and are still developing evidence from the crime scene for charging purposes,” he said in an email.

Community members who reached out to the newspaper noted the person who shot Williams did so at close range and may have left his cell phone at the scene. The shooter also allegedly knew who Williams was.

“This was such a violent crime in nature that’s why it’s not sitting well with the family and the people who knew Delani,” his father said.

Only six days earlier, Williams had celebrated a birthday. As a Buffalo resident, he attended Emerson School of Hospitality where he took courses in culinary arts.

His father said due to the birth of his child, Williams had been staying regularly in Dunkirk. “He was a solid family man,” his dad said. “He was raising his son and wasn’t running from his responsibilities.”

Those who reached out to the newspaper were critical of coverage that noted previous arrests. His father does not believe those past experiences have any connection to the death. “I don’t think he was killed over drugs,” he said.

Some callers to the OBSERVER in recent days said they had seen video of the deadly incident. They also wondered why no charges have yet to be filed.

At the moment, Williams’ father is part of the wait. “They told me to be patient,” he said. “They’re trying to build the strongest case possible.”