Court records reveal new details about suspect killed in shootout with Fayetteville police officers

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 has learned new details about the murder suspect killed in the hours-long standoff Tuesday at the Kings Cross Apartments in Fayetteville.

On Wednesday, Fayetteville Police identified the man killed in that shootout as 33-year-old Shakoor Williams, who was wanted in connection with the Mother's Day murder of Willie Russell.

ABC11 has been covering the Russell murder case since June after 30-year-old Markeith Rushing was arrested on first-degree murder charges in the killing. At the time, police said they were searching for a second suspect in that shooting.

Also Wednesday, ABC11 spoke with Russell's younger brother, Nick -- who said in June that his brother was experiencing homelessness and issues with drugs, and he thought those could be factors in his murder. He said he was surprised to hear of the circumstances surrounding Shakoor Williams' death.

"That could tell you a lot of things. That could tell you that, No. 1, you know, there's something going on. No. 2, you know, you just, you're just in the wrong and that's not normal for somebody to just really, you know, say, OK, let me just go all the way," Nick Russell said.

Court records showed this wasn't Shakoor Williams' first run-in with a murder charge. He was arrested in 2009 and convicted in 2011 of second-degree murder, serving roughly 13 years in prison. He was released in October 2022 and his parole just ended about nine months ago.

Nick Russell said he doesn't have any grudge -- just lots of questions.

"It's not a level of frustration. It's a level of curiosity, a level of what more is it that could be revealed?" he said.

ABC11 requested the arrest warrants for Shakoor Williams tied to the killing of Willie Russell but was told they're still unavailable. Meantime, the State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that one of its agents was involved in that Tuesday shootout after the FPD requested SBI assistance in making that arrest.

Nick Russell told ABC11 that he was relieved to feel that progress was being made in his brother's death investigation.

"Following my brother getting killed is tough. But I'm very glad that things are being handled the way they're being handled. And I hope that there's more to come, he said.