CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (KRON/BCN)—Richmond Mayor Tom Butt released a statement Saturday about the racially-motivated murder of Richmond resident William Sims earlier this month.
“I am saddened and distressed as details emerge following the November 12, 2016 murder of Richmond resident William Sims, whose death has been deemed the result of a hate crime,” Butt said in a statement. “As we work to strengthen our city by bringing people together, we must acknowledge heinous acts of hatred, hostility, and violence that occur in our community and nation as a whole.”
Around 2:10 a.m. on Nov. 12, a sheriff’s sergeant was on patrol in El Sobrante and discovered the victim, 28-year-old William Sims, lying in the roadway near Appian Way and Garden Lane and suffering from a gunshot wound. Sims was pronounced dead at the scene, sheriff’s officials said.
Detectives believe that Sims was at the Capri Club on Appian Way when some kind of altercation occurred. Sims, a musician and retail worker, had no known gang ties and no criminal history, according to the sheriff’s office.
One suspect has been arrested in connection to the murder, but Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputies are still searching for two other suspects.
Daniel Porter-Kelly, 31, is facing a murder and robbery charges.
“I am appreciative of the response from law enforcement which has led to the arrest of one suspect, and I hope that the remaining suspects are apprehended and brought to justice expeditiously,” Butt said in a statement. “I urge Richmond residents to maintain our city’s values of respect and care for one another, especially during a time when we are experiencing a nationwide surge in hate-filled hostility and threats to public safety. Racism, bigotry, discrimination, and all other forms of hatred and oppression have no place in our city.”