In the early hours of Sunday, September 1, 2019, a house party inside a residence on the 6100 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue in the Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago's South Side was shattered by gunfire.
Among those inside was Known Gang Member, Yarmel 051 “Melly” Williams, a Black male, age 27. Around 2:45 a.m., someone at the gathering opened fire. Williams, the male victim, was struck multiple times as panic rippled through the crowded home.
After the shooting, the male victim, Yarmel 051 Melly Williams, was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy released the next day ruled the death a homicide. A 34-year-old unnamed woman was also wounded in the foot; she transported herself to St. Bernard Hospital and was listed in good condition. Williams, the male victim age 27, was a resident of the Gresham area on the South Side.
Public reporting identified the male victim, age 27, as Yarmel “051 Melly” Williams, a figure known locally by that moniker.
Detectives opened an investigation, but police said witnesses at the party were uncooperative.
No description of a suspect or suspects was available, and at the time no one was in custody. The incident was cataloged by independent tracking databases as a fatal shooting at a private party in Chicago, underscoring the scarcity of immediate investigative leads.
As gang violence continues to destroy neighborhoods within cities, many wonder; How many lives must be lost in the streets? How many wailing mother's screams will penetrate the air before the violence ends?
