On a summer evening in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of 53-year-old William R. Chillis, a Black male, was irrevocably altered. On June 30, 2023, at approximately 6:20 p.m., a knock came at the door of his home in the 2100 block of Wilson Road. When Chillis answered, he was met with gunfire. His wife, Machelle, who was working from home at the time, heard the shots and rushed to the entryway to find her husband suffering from gunshot wounds to his head and mouth.
Emergency services
transported Chillis to the Regional Medical Center in critical condition. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, he was declared brain-dead and was paralyzed from the neck down. Three days later, on July 3, 2023, William R. Chillis succumbed to his devastating injuries. The profound loss left his family, particularly his wife, shattered. Machelle described her husband as her best friend and has had to face the future without him, a future they had planned together.
In the wake of the shooting, the Memphis Police Department reported that the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle described as a 2018-2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. As of the fall of 2023, no arrests had been made in connection with the murder of William R. Chillis. Authorities have continued to appeal to the public for any information that might lead to the apprehension of the person or persons responsible for this violent act. The investigation into his death remains ongoing.
