James William III

James Jerry Dawn Williams III, a 21-year-old Black man, was killed in a shooting in Orlando, Florida, on February 28, 2024. The incident was the culmination of a dispute that had begun hours earlier.

The conflict started around 3 p.m. that afternoon in the city’s Rosemont neighborhood. According to investigators, two groups were involved in a disagreement over a vehicle that had not been returned by a mutually agreed-upon date. The situation escalated into an alleged assault, and Orlando police officers who responded to the scene issued a trespass warning to one of the individuals involved.

Later that night, around 11 p.m., violence erupted in the same area near Ironwedge Drive and South Lake Orlando Parkway. Police were called for reports of gunfire and arrived to find that an exchange of gunfire had occurred between two groups. Seven people had been shot in the melee. James was found deceased at the scene. The six other victims were transported to a local hospital in stable condition and were expected to survive their injuries.

The Orlando Police Department’s investigation led to the arrests of two individuals. The day after the shooting, officers with the agency's fugitive investigative unit took Wayne Anthony Grant Jr., 30, into custody. Grant, who was allegedly involved in the afternoon confrontation, was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm.

Subsequently, police arrested a second suspect, Shamika Rose Stubbs-Peterson. She was charged with burglary of an occupied conveyance with battery, battery, providing false reports to law enforcement during a capital felony investigation, and providing false information to law enforcement during an investigation. As of March 2024, the case was proceeding through the legal system.