Brandon Jerome Williams, a 40-year-old African American male, tragically lost his life on March 28, 2021, in Austin, Texas. The incident occurred at the WoodSpring Suites Austin, located at 11105 N. Interstate 35. At approximately 11:36 a.m., Austin 911 received a report of a man who had been shot inside a hotel room. Upon arrival, officers found Brandon Williams with gunshot wounds.
He was immediately transported to Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, where he succumbed to his injuries less than an hour later.
The investigation revealed that Brandon Williams and the suspect, Jose Angel Negrete Jr., knew each other. Negrete Jr. had a history of criminal activities, including a conviction for burglary of a habitation and evading arrest with a vehicle in Hays County in 2018. On March 29, 2021, police arrested Negrete Jr. in Austin on an outstanding warrant for first-degree murder. According to the arrest affidavit, Negrete Jr. was at the hotel to deliver marijuana to Williams. The altercation that ensued led to multiple gunshots being fired while Williams was escorting Negrete Jr. out of the hotel room. Surveillance footage showed Negrete Jr. entering the hotel room with a black handgun in his waistband and leaving with the gun in his hand. He was seen dropping the gun while running down the stairs and picking it back up before exiting the building.
The Austin Police Department classified this incident as the 19th homicide of 2021. The case remains under investigation, and authorities have urged anyone with information to contact APD’s homicide division or the CrimeStoppers tip line. A reward of $1,000 is being offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. The Travis County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy to determine the official cause of death, confirming that Brandon Williams died from gunshot wounds sustained during the altercation.
