Joresse Jessica Williams, a 32-year-old Black woman known to loved ones as "Jo Jo," was a mother and an only sister. Her family was left heartbroken by her sudden death, with her sister Joshana describing herself as "lost without her." Just days after Joresse was killed, her young daughter had to celebrate her 12th birthday without her mother, an experience her family called the hardest thing they had to do.
On the night of April 10, 2024, Joresse was with her friend, 35-year-old Laverda
Pearl Robinson, in the parking lot of their apartment building in Sacramento, California. The two women were outside The Eleven Hundred apartment complex on Howe Avenue when a gunman, described as an acquaintance, shot and killed them both. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the scene around 10:40 p.m. after receiving a 911 call and a ShotSpotter activation.
In the days that followed, family and friends gathered around a colorful memorial of balloons, photographs, and candles to mourn the two women. The double homicide prompted calls from victim advocates for elected officials and the community to do more to protect Black women from gun violence and domestic violence. "Gun violence is gun violence, and whatever disagreement happened that night should not warrant the death of those two women," said victim advocate Leih Shank.
Investigators quickly identified 32-year-old Ricky Hunter as the suspect in the killings. The day after the shooting, on April 11, deputies tracked Hunter to the area near Arden Fair mall. After spotting him inside a store, they attempted to arrest him while he was in his car. As they approached, Hunter shot himself. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
As of April 2024, the case is considered closed, as the primary suspect is deceased. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone with information about the incident to contact them at (916) 874-5115.
