Larry Cook, 68, a Black man, was shot to death late Saturday night on April 11, 2020, on Stovall Street in Prichard, in the Mobile area. Police said he was hit multiple times, and the violence of the attack left little time for help to arrive; he was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead.
In the first hours after the shooting, investigators had more questions than answers.
They publicly described the motive as unclear, and they stressed that the gunfire was not connected to crowds that had gathered along St. Stephens Road that night. As the case unfolded, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office joined in to assist with the investigation, widening the net of resources searching for what happened and who pulled the trigger.
Four days later, on April 15, 2020, police announced they had made an arrest. Rayford Williams, 40, was taken into custody and charged with murder in connection with Cook’s death. Authorities said Williams was suspected in the shooting, noted that he had a criminal history, and reported that he was taken to the Mobile Metro Jail after the arrest.
