Daniel Thomas Mayers, a 33-year-old Black/African American man known as "Danny," was a pastor and public servant with deep roots in the Boston community where his life was taken. He grew up in Dorchester, where his father, the Rev. Dr. Thomas W. O. Mayers, served as the rector at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Columbia Road for nearly two decades. Following in this tradition of service, Danny was a pastor at the Family of God church in Haverhill.
For over ten years, he also worked for the city of Boston as an employee with the Boston Public Schools in the Welcome Center, Transportation, and Special Education departments. His family described him as a beloved son, brother, and new uncle whose loss was unfathomable.
On the afternoon of May 22, 2023, Mayers was fatally shot in a brazen act of violence. Just before 5 p.m., Boston police responded to reports of gunfire on Columbia Road. They found Mayers inside his vehicle, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead. The shooting occurred in broad daylight near the Lilla Frederick Pilot Middle School, which was temporarily placed in "safe mode" as a precaution.
In the aftermath, Mayers’s devastated family and Boston police pleaded with the public for any information that could lead to an arrest. For nearly two years, the investigation continued while his killer remained at large. Homicide detectives actively reviewed the circumstances surrounding the shooting and sought help from the community.
A breakthrough in the case came on March 6, 2025, when a suspect turned himself in at Boston Police Headquarters on a warrant. Authorities arrested 21-year-old Amari Williams of Acada, Georgia, and charged him with murder and carrying a firearm without a license. Prosecutors allege that Williams and an accomplice, Elijah Clunie, lured Mayers to Dorchester under the pretense of selling him an iPhone. Mayers ran a side business repairing and selling used cellphones. Clunie was himself killed in an unrelated shooting in September 2023.
Following his arrest, Amari Williams was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court. He was ordered to be held without bail and was scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on April 29, 2025. The case was proceeding through the court system as of March 2025.
