Tennis Stars' Oldest Sister Slain

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.

Sheriff's deputies were still searching for two other possible suspects.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced the arrest early Monday and identified the suspect as Aaron Michael Hammer, 24.

Hammer was being held without bail. Authorities said it wasn't known whether Price knew her assailant or what prompted the dispute. The Los Angeles Times reported an assault rifle was found at the murder scene and neighbors reported hearing six to 20 gunshots.

CBS News 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.

Price was shot in Compton, Calif., a crime-infested Los Angeles suburb, 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."

The man with Price was not hurt and drove her to a relative's house in Long Beach, from which he called the police, Pena said. Price was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where she died.

Early Monday, authorities identified the man with Price as Rolland Wormley, 28. He was jailed after authorities discovered he was on parole, which they said he violated by being at the scene of the shooting. It wasn't disclosed what he was on parole for.

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, ages 5-11, 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.

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.

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."