In the early morning hours of a July Monday in Swainsboro, Georgia, the life of 40-year-old Angela Boykins-Gillis was tragically cut short in a violent burst of gunfire. On July 11, 2016, a drive-by shooting targeted her King Circle Drive home, where she and her husband, Kenneth Gillis, were inside. Responding to the scene at approximately 1:30 a.m., Emanuel County Sheriff's deputies and EMS personnel discovered both Angela and Kenneth suffering from gunshot wounds. Angela Gillis was rushed to the Emanuel County Medical Center, but her injuries proved to be fatal. Her husband, who was 48 at the time, was also taken to the local hospital before being airlifted to a hospital in Augusta for further treatment of his injuries.
The investigation, a joint effort between the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, quickly pointed to a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence. Investigators determined that one or more suspects had fired numerous rounds into the residence from the street, with a significant number of shots aimed at the master bedroom. The bullets pierced the window and walls of the home, striking the couple. The authorities believed the shooting was connected to a federal drug case in which Kenneth Gillis was a co-defendant alongside one of the alleged perpetrators.
It would take time for the full picture of the conspiracy behind Angela Gillis's death to come to light. Early in the investigation, two teenagers, including Talik Williams, were taken into custody. However, the suspected mastermind, Tony Lanard Williams, remained at large for nearly a year, eluding capture by both the GBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. His time as a fugitive came to an end during a traffic stop in Bulloch County, where he was apprehended by sheriff's deputies and GBI agents. In a dramatic turn during the arrest, a passenger in the vehicle with Williams, Walford McKinney of Vidalia, ingested a fatal amount of cocaine.
In July 2019, a significant breakthrough was announced as an Emanuel County grand jury handed down a 44-count indictment against seven individuals connected to a drug enterprise. Among those indicted were Tony Lenard Williams, his son Talik Reaun Williams, and Neshawn Brown, who all faced charges of racketeering and murder for their roles in the death of Angela Katrice Gillis. The sweeping indictment also included charges for another homicide, aggravated assault, weapons and drug offenses, and violations of the Street Gang Act, painting a picture of a dangerous criminal organization operating in the area.
