Man shot, killed by Raytown police officer was ‘caring and dedicated father,’ family says
Family and friends gathered Saturday to honor the memory of Kenneth R. Williams Jr., known as a kind, gentle family man and everyone’s favorite carpet cleaner.
On a grassy hill next to the QuikTrip where a Raytown police officer shot and killed Williams, 32, two weeks earlier, his sister LaTasha Crawford said a prayer and called for everyone to “keep asking questions in pursuit of justice.”
“We gather here today to just honor my brother and to demand that justice be served,” Crawford said.
After Crawford tearfully quoted Romans 8:28 (“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”) and other family members shared a few words, the group watched an assortment of balloons float skyward.
“My son was a kind, loving person that did anything for anybody,” said Williams’ mother, Cecelia Wilson, 62. “He wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
‘An all-around sweet person’
Crawford said Williams’ family has been largely left in the dark since the day Williams was killed at the QuikTrip after allegedly making threats to a security guard.
Williams was known as a dedicated father who was always eager to help out around the home. He ran his own carpet-cleaning business and had enough clients to always keep busy. It seemed like he was always on the go for another cleaning, Wilson said.
He loved family functions, especially around the holidays, Wilson said, and he always dressed up for Halloween.
“He has a 9-month-old baby and he was there for his baby every day and every night,“ Wilson said. “He was an all-around sweet person.”
When police spoke to Williams’ family, all they were told was that he had IED components — materials used to construct explosives — in his car, Crawford said.
“The media made my brother out to look like a terrorist — and we all know Kenny — he can barely operate the carpet-cleaning machine that he had,” Crawford said at the balloon release Saturday.
Williams’ family members have asked to see surveillance footage of the night he was killed, but two weeks after the shooting, Crawford said, they still haven’t seen the video.
Raytown officer shoots Williams after alleged threat
According to a news release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, officers with the Raytown Police Department responded just after midnight Nov. 9 to the QuikTrip at 8733 E. 63rd St. The call was about an alleged altercation between a man and a private security guard.
At the scene, officers were told Williams had made threats of having firearms and explosives in his vehicle, the news release said.
Williams allegedly left the scene on foot before police arrived, but his car was still parked in the gas station parking lot, the release said. Raytown police evacuated the area, and the Kansas City Police Department’s bomb squad was called to investigate the vehicle.
Williams allegedly then returned to the QuikTrip while Raytown officers were waiting for the bomb squad to arrive, the release said. Officers saw Williams moving toward his vehicle, and they began giving him commands. As Williams began to enter his vehicle, a Raytown police officer shot at him, striking him, the release said.
Williams was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The bomb squad arrived after Williams had been shot. It allegedly recovered explosive material from his vehicle, the news release said. Law enforcement officials have not yet said what type of material was recovered.
The Highway Patrol is investigating the officer-involved shooting at the request of the Raytown Police Department.
As of Nov. 23, no other information about the investigation has been released.
Crawford said she is worried her family will be without answers for months to come as the highway patrol investigates the shooting. The family was not told how many times Williams had been shot or where he was shot, Crawford said.
“We want to demand the footage of this situation,” Crawford said. “There’s cameras everywhere, but yet we still haven’t seen the video.”
Wilson said she finds it hard to believe that her son would have been carrying explosives, and that making threats was out of character for him.
“I wish I could have stopped it from happening,” she said of the shooting.
After the balloons were released Saturday, sobbing family members joined together for a group hug.
“He didn’t deserve this,” Wilson said.
This story was originally published November 23, 2024 at 5:36 PM.
