Dennis Mayes Jr., a 24-year-old Black man, was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. His life was cut short by gunfire in the summer of 2024, leaving behind a grieving family and community.
On the night of July 10, 2024, Mayes was driving on Mackinaw Road in Saginaw Township with two teenagers in his car. Shortly after 10 p.m., a barrage of shots was fired at the vehicle. The Saginaw Township Police Department responded to reports of gunfire and found a car stopped in the road with its doors open. Inside, officers discovered Dennis Mayes, who had been shot and killed. A 15-year-old boy in the back seat was also suffering from a serious gunshot wound to his abdomen; he was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery. A third person who had been in the car fled the scene but was located by police a short time later.
The shooting was so intense that bullets also penetrated a nearby home, narrowly missing the family inside.
The investigation quickly led police to a neighboring home where they identified 15-year-old Jawon Williams as the shooter. Investigators believe Williams used a rifle to fire approximately twenty rounds at the car, and that the violence may have stemmed from a money dispute. Williams was taken into custody shortly after the incident.
Due to the severity of the crime, the Saginaw County Prosecutor's Office charged Williams as an adult. He was arraigned on charges of open murder for the death of Dennis Mayes, two counts of assault with intent to murder for the attack on the other occupants of the car, and several felony firearm charges. Throughout the legal proceedings, Williams’ attorney maintained that his client had fired the weapon in self-defense.
A Saginaw County jury later convicted Jawon Williams of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and multiple felony firearm charges. Saginaw County Circuit Court Judge Darnell Jackson sentenced Williams to serve 35 to 60 years in prison for the murder conviction. Following the sentencing, Williams' attorney announced plans to appeal the jury's verdict.
