William Darnell Frazier Jr., known to his loved ones as "Tank," was a 38-year-old Black man from Owensboro, Kentucky. A father to a son, Cartiye, and a daughter, Bellé, he was a member of the Fourth Street Baptist Church and worked at Shiloh's Lounge. Born in Owensboro to parents who preceded him in death, Frazier was remembered by family and friends for his love of barbecuing, watching Dallas Cowboys football, and spending cherished time with his relatives.
On the night of Friday, May
20, 2022, Frazier's life was cut short. At approximately 10:10 p.m., officers with the Owensboro Police Department responded to reports of a shooting on the 3600 block of Arlington Drive. They arrived to find Frazier suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, but he did not survive his injuries.
A homicide investigation began immediately. Detectives conducted several interviews, but police credited bystanders at the scene with providing the crucial information that allowed them to quickly identify a suspect. Officer Andrew Boggess of the Owensboro Police Department noted that "individuals on scene that were able to give them pieces of information that lead to them ultimately being able to get to the bottom of this case pretty quickly."
The following morning, police arrested a 17-year-old male in connection with the shooting. The juvenile was charged with murder and held at the Warren Regional Juvenile Detention Center. As the investigation continued, detectives determined that the handgun used in the crime had been stolen. This led to an additional charge against the teen for receiving stolen property of a firearm.
As of May 2022, the 17-year-old suspect was facing charges of murder and receiving stolen property, and the case was proceeding through the juvenile justice system.
