William Jay'mir Adorno-Boyd was a 16-year-old male from Norristown, Pennsylvania.
On the morning of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, William was at a home in the 800 block of Arch Street with his 13-year-old friend, Daniel Hawkins-Boyce. Hawkins-Boyce had brought over a Ruger .380 handgun that he claimed to have found near a trash can about a week earlier. The firearm had been reported stolen out of Philadelphia on June 3, 2026.
According to investigators, William had invited his friend to bring the gun to the house. The two teens went to a nearby market to buy marijuana and then returned to the home.
They went down to the basement, where Hawkins-Boyce said he left the gun unattended for about 10 to 15 minutes while he went upstairs to use the bathroom. When he returned, he believed the gun had been moved slightly. He told detectives he then sat down and began watching TikTok on his phone. While scrolling through social media, he was "tapping the trigger" of the handgun with his index finger. Around 10:30 a.m., the gun fired.
The single shot struck William in the face, and he collapsed. Hawkins-Boyce told police he checked his friend for a pulse before calling 911 and running to his own home to wake his mother. When police and sheriff's deputies arrived, Hawkins-Boyce immediately told them he was responsible for the shooting. Investigators recovered the handgun along a basement wall; it still contained one live round in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine.
An autopsy performed by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office determined that William died from a single gunshot wound to the head. His death was officially ruled a homicide.
Daniel Hawkins-Boyce was arrested and charged as an adult with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm by a minor, and possessing an instrument of crime. Prosecutors noted that while Pennsylvania law required the charges to be filed in adult court, the case could later be considered for a transfer to juvenile court.
As of October 2026, the case against Hawkins-Boyce was proceeding through the legal system.
