On a late Sunday evening in Selma, Alabama, the life of 36-year-old Breana Williams, a Black female, was tragically cut short. On June 24, 2018, at approximately 11 p.m., Williams was at her home on the 400 block of Young Street when she was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting. The violence of that night also left her 17-year-old son, Dejour Edward, critically injured.
He was rushed to a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, to be treated for his life-threatening injuries.
The Selma Police Department launched an immediate investigation into the shooting, which was part of a series of violent incidents that had shaken the community. Their efforts quickly led to the identification and arrest of several suspects in connection with the senseless act of violence that took a mother's life and nearly claimed her son's.
Authorities apprehended four individuals who they believed were responsible for the shooting. Brothers Marquavius Benjamin, 19, and Markerion Benjamin, 16, were taken into custody and faced serious charges, including capital murder, attempted murder, and shooting into an occupied dwelling. Following their arrests, two other men, 24-year-old Wesley Washington and 26-year-old Christopher Woods, were also arrested and charged with capital murder and attempted murder for their alleged roles in the death of Breana Williams and the attempted murder of her son. The arrests brought a measure of relief to a community mourning the loss of a beloved member and deeply concerned about the escalating violence in their city.
