On a Friday evening in Antioch, Tennessee, the life of Kentrail Williams, a 23-year-old Black male, was tragically cut short. On July 22, 2022, Williams was at the Thorntons gas station located at Eagle View Boulevard and Bell Road. As he was inside the convenience store, a gunman was lying in wait for him to come back out. When Williams exited the market, the assailant approached him and opened fire.
The shooter then fled the scene in a white sedan.
Emergency services and responding officers rendered aid to Williams at the scene before he was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Despite the efforts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after his arrival at the hospital. The investigation into the targeted shooting was immediately launched by the Metro Nashville Police Department's Homicide Unit and its TITANS detectives, who began pursuing active leads to identify the person responsible for Williams's death.
The investigation led authorities to identify 21-year-old Markarion Cole as the primary suspect in the murder of Kentrail Williams. A warrant for criminal homicide was issued for his arrest. For months, Cole remained a fugitive from the law. However, acting on information provided by the Metro Nashville Police Department, law enforcement in Kane County, Illinois, were able to locate and apprehend him.
On November 2, 2022, Markarion Cole was taken into custody. He was held without bond in Illinois, awaiting his extradition back to Nashville to face the charge of first-degree murder for the death of Kentrail Williams. The arrest marked a significant development in the case, bringing a sense of progress for the family and friends of Williams who were seeking justice for his untimely death.
