Bust In Williams Sister's Killing

A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an early Sunday morning shooting that killed Yetunde Price, 31, the oldest sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced the arrest early Monday and identified the suspect as Aaron Michael Hammer.

Sheriff's Deputy Richard Pena said Hammer is being held without bail.

CBS News Radio Correspondent Steve Futterman reports police have not commented on a motive. People in the neighborhood say there has been a recent upswing in both gang activity and shootings.

Pena did not say what, if any, relationship may have existed between Hammer and Price, who was shot in the chest while sitting in an SUV with a man whose identity has not been revealed by police.

Pena also declined to say what led to Hammer's arrest, what charge he might face, and when he was taken into custody.

Pena said homicide detectives are still seeking the public's help in gathering information about the killing of Price, who was shot in Compton, Calif., about a mile away from the tennis courts where her sisters first rose to prominence.

Price, 31, a nurse who also owned a beauty shop and occasionally worked as a personal assistant for her famous sisters, never left the area where she grew up and was proud of both their achievements and her own ability to lead an independent life without relying on their riches.

Police say Price was sitting with a man in a sport utility vehicle shortly after midnight when "somehow they had become involved in a confrontation with the local residents."

"I just know I heard somebody hollering," one neighbor told CBS News, adding that the gunfire came "not too long after that."

Neighbors reported hearing anywhere from six to 20 gunshots. Pena said an assault rifle was found at the shooting scene.

Deputies on patrol heard gunshots and found Price, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

The Williams sisters issued a statement shortly after the shooting saying their family had been overwhelmed with grief at news of Price's death.

Venus flew Sunday from New York to Los Angeles and Serena traveled from Toronto to gather with relatives. Price, 31, a registered nurse who owned a beauty salon, was a personal assistant to her famous half-sisters.

"We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde," the Williams family said in the statement.

"She was our nucleus and our rock. She was personal assistant, confidant, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled. Our grief is overwhelming, and this is the saddest day of our lives," the statement said.

The tree-shaded street where Price died is lined with homes with barred windows. The sound of gunfire is a common weekend disruption.

Rodolfo Pulido, 35, who lives around the corner, was awakened by the shots but did not go outside. "Week after week, I hear gunfire. It's common," he said.

Price was one of five sisters who spent their early years in Compton, where gang fighting has claimed many lives.

She was divorced and had three children, Jair, 5; Justus, 9; and Jeffrey, 11. She had moved to Corona, 40 miles from Compton in neighboring Riverside County, and took her mother's maiden name a few years ago after her parents divorced. She recently opened a hair salon in nearby Lakewood with a friend from high school.

"I can't believe it. There's not one evil thing you could say about this girl. She never hurt any person. She was a quiet person," said a friend, Sheriee Brown, 32, of Compton.

The five sisters were extremely close: Yetunde; Isha, a lawyer and singer; and Lyndrea, an actress and singer; could often be seen in stadium guest boxes and hotels with Venus and Serena.

When Venus and Serena Williams were children, Price was a caring, gentle role model. As recently as Wimbledon this summer, Price helped with her sisters' personal business matters, cheering them on, the big sister who stayed on the side and never showed any jealousy of their success.

Venus, eight years younger than Price, and Serena, a little more than nine years younger, often spoke about the gunshots they heard as they played tennis on public courts in Compton. When they turned professional as teenagers, they moved with their parents to Florida, in part for the courts and the coaching and in part to escape the violence.

Yet nothing - not stardom nor distance nor the demands of travel weakened the bonds they felt toward their sisters. At Wimbledon in July, when Venus was injured during her semifinal and considered quitting, her mother and sisters encouraged her to play on.

The poise Venus and Serena showed so young could be attributed as much to the influence of their older sisters as to the independence and religious devotion that their parents, Richard and Oracene, encouraged.

That self-assured character could be seen when Venus and Serena were just little girls, going around to local charity events to help raise money. They weren't shy, even then, about taking a microphone and talking to other children about the value of education.

By that time, Price was far ahead in her schooling, becoming a nurse, taking business courses and reinforcing for her younger sisters the values that would shape their lives off the court.

All five sisters are the daughters of Oracene Williams, who was previously married to the late Yusef A.K. Rasheed. She later married Richard Williams, father of Venus, 23, and Serena, who will be 22 next week.

"They don't regard themselves as half-sisters, they regard themselves as sisters," said Raymone Bain, a publicist for Serena. "The five girls are each others' best friends."