In the summer of 2017, the life of 36-year-old Nathaniel Fleming, a Black / African American male from Mason City, Iowa, was tragically cut short. On the evening of June 30th, an argument escalated into fatal violence at the Casa Apartments in Charles City. Fleming was shot multiple times during the dispute. The man he had been arguing with, 36-year-old Antoine Williams of Charles City, was identified as the shooter.
Following the shooting, Williams allegedly pulled Fleming out of a vehicle and fled the scene. A search for Williams ensued, and his vehicle, a red 2006 Chevy Equinox, was later discovered in Waterloo. The search for Williams extended beyond Iowa, and he was taken into custody on July 5th in Chicago. After his arrest, he was extradited back to Iowa to face charges for Fleming's death and was held on a $500,000 bond.
Antoine Williams was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Nathaniel Fleming. During his trial, Williams claimed that he acted in self-defense. However, a Floyd County jury deliberated for about two hours before returning a guilty verdict. In October 2017, Williams was convicted of second-degree murder. In December of that year, he was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison. Under Iowa law, he will be required to serve a significant portion of that sentence before being eligible for release.
