Keenon Williams

Keenon T.M. Williams, known to his loved ones as "La'bill," was a 17-year-old from New Orleans with his entire life ahead of him. Remembered by his family as a bright and beautiful child with a wonderful spirit, his sudden death left his community heartbroken. He was the beloved son of Tremaine Williams and a brother to Brian, Keyana, Kourtney, and Robert. In the wake of his killing, his family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends and loved ones, who organized a fundraiser to help with memorial expenses, a testament to the lives he touched.

The evening of May 31, 2017, shattered his family’s world. Just after 6 p.m. in the city’s Seventh Ward, Keenon, a young Black man, was sitting in a parked car with 20-year-old Kelvin Jones Jr. in the 3000 block of Pauger Street. In a sudden burst of violence, the vehicle was riddled with gunfire. When New Orleans Police Department officers arrived, they found both young men suffering from critical gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was rushed to a nearby hospital but could not be saved. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office later confirmed that both Keenon and Kelvin had died from their injuries.

The investigation into the double homicide, led by NOPD detectives, soon uncovered a complex and violent backstory. Investigators came to believe the murders were an act of retaliation connected to a "territorial" feud. According to police reports, the shooting was payback for two earlier incidents in May 2017. In the first, on May 7, a man named Javonte Thomas and a friend reported being shot at on St. Anthony Street. Two weeks later, on May 21, Thomas and his friends were targeted by gunfire again on Viola Street. No one was injured in those attempts.

Evidence began to mount when detectives matched bullets from the two prior shootings to a gun found inside the car where Keenon and Kelvin were killed. Further investigation led them to the owner of another gun, which ballistics confirmed was the weapon used in the Pauger Street murders. The gun’s owner told police he had loaned the weapon to Javonte Thomas, who he considered a brother. This man also confirmed that Thomas knew both Keenon and Kelvin.

Based on this evidence, the NOPD secured an arrest warrant for Javonte Thomas, then 19, on a charge of first-degree murder. The warrant was signed on November 24, 2017, and police publicly appealed for information on his whereabouts. For months, Thomas remained a wanted man. Then, in April 2018, authorities located and arrested him in connection with the killings of Keenon Williams and Kelvin Jones Jr.

The arrest brought a significant development to a case that began with a brutal ambush on a quiet street. A GoFundMe page set up by Keenon's family described his death as a "senseless shooting" and a "senseless loss." His family expressed their endless gratitude for the love and support they received as they struggled to lay him to rest. The case against the man accused of ending two young lives was now set to move forward in the justice system. As of the report of his arrest, the case was in the hands of the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office. Anyone with further information about the case was asked to contact NOPD Homicide detectives.