KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen Police Department has charged 38-year-old Demetris Tyrone Prier for the murder of 55-year-old Joe Sidney Williams, which took place back in June 2022.
According to police, on Jan. 19, 2024, detectives with the Criminal Investigation Division received a complaint for Wiliams' murder, charging Prier. An arrest warrant was issued and Prier was located in the Bell County Jail, where he was serving time on unrelated charges.
Prier was arraigned and his bond was set at $500,000, according to Killeen PD.
Killeen PD reports that the initial attack on Williams occurred on June 24, 2022. Officers reportedly arrived at the 1800 block of N. 4th St. where they found Williams suffering from a gunshot wound.
Police say that Williams was taken to Baylor Scott & White in Temple, where he reportedly died of his wounds on Aug. 3, 2022. Detectives ruled Williams' death a murder after his autopsy.
According to an affidavit, several witnesses on the scene of the shooting told police they observed a "Black, skinny male with dreadlocks" flee the location shortly after the shooting allegedly occurred.
According to the affidavit, the home Williams was shot in front of belonged to his brother Danny Williams. Danny Williams reportedly described the man who shot his brother in a manner consistent with the other witnesses on the scene.
Police also recovered multiple shell casings from the scene that appeared to be rifle caliber 7.62x39 RED ARMY bullets, according to the affidavit.
Prier was arrested on June 28 for another incident in which he allegedly shot someone with an AK 47 using the same type of bullets, said the affidavit. Prier allegedly admitted to the shooting but claimed that it was in self-defense.
After Prier stated in an interview that the gun belonged to him, police test fired the AK 47 and determined that the shell casings found on June 24 were from the same weapon that was in Prier's possession when he was arrested for the unrelated aggravated assault involving the weapon four days later, stated the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, witnesses identified Prier in a double-blind photo lineup as the man they had seen arguing with Williams the night before the shooting. Police also found Williams' phone and found that the last message was from a number associated with Prier. Prier's own phone was reportedly seized during his arrest, and police discovered had been near the address the shooting occurred a few minutes after it allegedly took place.
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