In the early morning hours of January 24, 2020, the quiet of a Baton Rouge street was shattered by the discovery of a man lying wounded. That man was 39-year-old Julius Williams, a Black male who was found on McCalop Street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency services transported him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he succumbed to them later that day.
The investigation into the death of Julius Williams led Baton Rouge Police Detectives to an
18-year-old suspect named Cornelius Calloway. According to witness accounts, Calloway had emerged from an apartment and confronted Williams in a parking lot before shots were fired. A significant piece of evidence, a. 38 handgun with spent rounds matching the bullets that struck Williams, was recovered just feet from where he was found.
On March 5, 2020, Cornelius Calloway was arrested and charged with the second-degree murder of Julius Williams. A search of Calloway's residence uncovered ammunition for a. 38 revolver and clothing that matched the description of the shooter from the night of the incident. Further investigation solidified the case against him when DNA evidence found on the handgun was confirmed to be a match for Calloway. While an arrest was made, the motive behind the deadly encounter remained unclear.
