In the quiet neighborhood of Frayser in Memphis, Tennessee, a retired U.S. Navy Reservist's life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence. Diane Ward, a 62-year-old woman, was shot and killed on the morning of January 11, 2013, while she was simply unloading groceries from her car. The fatal shot was not intended for her, but was the result of a nearby altercation that had nothing to do with her.
Earlier that morning, Diane had driven her brother, Waddell McLemore, to the
Navy commissary in Millington to get some groceries. They returned to his home on Burnham Cove before 9 a.m. As they began to take the groceries out of the car, an argument erupted at a neighboring house. A man named Bryant Williamson, who was 27 years old at the time, was having a dispute with another individual, Jeremy Jones.
The argument escalated, and Williamson, intending to shoot at the car driven by Jones, fired a gun from inside his house. The bullet missed its intended target and tragically struck Diane Ward. Her brother heard the single gunshot and rushed to her side in the driveway as she fell backward. He held her, shouting for answers, but it was too late.
The investigation that followed led to the arrest of Bryant Williamson. A witness, Daraion Stone, who had been at Williamson's house, told authorities that Williamson had an altercation with Jones and that a gunshot came from the house. Stone saw Diane Ward, who had been getting groceries out of her car, fall after the shot was fired.
Bryant Williamson was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous offense. During his trial, the prosecution argued that Williamson had told Stone to get out of the way because he was 'about to bust' before he fired at Jones's car, missing him and hitting Ward instead. Williamson's defense attorney contested the claims, suggesting there was no dispute between Williamson and Jones.
In March 2016, a Shelby County jury found Bryant Williamson guilty on all charges. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Diane Ward. The tragic death of a beloved sister and retired service member was a stark reminder of how a violent dispute can have devastating and unintended consequences for innocent bystanders.
