In the late afternoon of August 16, 2020, Memphis firefighter Courtney Anderson was fatally shot during a robbery in the Whitehaven neighborhood. The 31-year-old man was in the 4000 block of Eastwind Drive around 4:50 p.m. when the incident occurred. Anderson, who had been with the Memphis Fire Department since 2015, was off-duty at the time of his death.
His promising career and life were cut short in what investigators determined to be a robbery gone wrong.
Witnesses at the scene provided crucial information to the police. They reported hearing three men, one of whom was later identified as 18-year-old Delvone Williams, discussing a plan to rob Anderson. As the witnesses were walking Anderson to his car, they saw the same three men approaching them. According to their statements, Williams was armed with a gun and proceeded to shoot Anderson. Following an investigation, Delvone Williams was arrested and charged in connection with the firefighter's death.
The Shelby County District Attorney's office announced that a grand jury had indicted Williams, also known as Delvonte Williams, on charges of first-degree murder in the commission of a felony and attempted especially aggravated robbery. While Williams was identified as the shooter and taken into custody, authorities indicated that others could still face charges in the case. The death of Courtney Anderson was a profound loss to his family, friends, and his colleagues at the Memphis Fire Department, who remembered him as a dedicated public servant who had worked hard to protect the citizens of Memphis.
