Minneapolis activist shot dead on his mother's front porch
MINNEAPOLIS – Minneapolis police are hunting for a killer who gunned down a community activist just outside his mother's front door, reports CBS affiliate WCCO.
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Tyrone Williams, 33, was killed in north Minneapolis Tuesday night.
"He helped a lot of people as much as he could," Rosemary Williams, Tyrone's mother, said.
Rosemary Williams says she knew that her son, himself a father of four, was a people person, but she never knew the impact he had on so many until now.
"He was up at the reservation with the natives, fighting over the oil. I heard from their community, it's just a blessing, the outpouring. I didn't know he impacted so many people," Rosemary said.
According to the station, Tyrone Williams was an advocate for civil and human rights. He was active in calls for justice in the police killings of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile.
Williams reportedly left his mother's house around 6 p.m. Tuesday and was shot just feet away from her front door.
Tyrone's family allowed his children to talk to WCCO about how much their dad loved them and how he taught them to love and protect their community.
"He use to give me big hugs every time he walked in the door," said 10-year-old Talib Williams, Tyrone's son.
"He did a lot of good stuff. He was brave, he was a hero," 9-year-old Ade Williams said.
"Make him be proud of me what I'm doing, helping people. That's stuff that he wants me to do," said Talib.
Williams' friends say his death is not in vain and that it has sparked a renewed spirit to fix what is broken in north Minneapolis.
"We need to embrace each other, we have to embrace these children, these young men that don't have love and don't know how to love, so they hurt themselves and others," Rosemary Williams said.
Williams wants justice for her son, but not at the cost of lost lives. She wants justice that comes with love and support from community.
"We are not going to allow them to destroy themselves or each other. It's going to stop," she said.
Tyrone Williams reportedly had a clothing line called Black Coalition. Friends say they will keep it going until his children are old enough to take over.
Police are looking for a car seen speeding away after Williams was shot. If you have any information about this shooting, please call Minneapolis police.
