In the evening of September 12, 2016, a teenager's life was abruptly ended on a street in Pittsburgh's Garfield neighborhood. Dalon Williams, a 17-year-old African American male, was fatally shot shortly after being dropped off near his home. He had just returned from a court-ordered after-school program, a component of his involvement with a specialized juvenile probation service.
The van that transported him had just pulled away when gunfire erupted.
Pittsburgh police responded to reports of shots fired in the 5300 block of Mossfield Street just after 9 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Dalon lying in a grassy area. Paramedics were called to the scene, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead at 9:12 p.m. Williams was an 11th-grade student at Pittsburgh Milliones 6-12, where he had been enrolled since middle school. The school district brought in counselors to support students and staff who were grieving the sudden loss of their classmate.
In the years following the shooting, Dalon's mother, Malika Williams, has continued to seek answers and justice for her son. She has expressed her belief that the driver of the transport van should have waited to ensure he made it safely inside his home before departing. Despite ongoing investigations by the Pittsburgh police, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with the homicide. The case remains an unsolved tragedy, leaving a family and a community searching for closure.
