COMPTON, California, 16 September 2003 — A 24-year-old man was arrested for investigation of murder in the fatal shooting of the older sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, authorities said yesterday.
Sheriff’s deputies were still searching for two other possible suspects.
Yetunde Price, 31, was shot in the chest early Sunday about 1.6 kilometers from the tennis courts where her sisters first rose to prominence in this Los Angeles suburb that has long been notorious for gang activity and violence.
Price had been sitting with a man in a sport utility vehicle when “somehow they had become involved in a confrontation with the local residents,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Pena.
“That dispute led to gunfire and the woman was shot in the upper torso,” Deputy Scott Butler said yesterday.
The suspect was identified as Aaron Michael Hammer, 24, of Compton. He was booked for investigation of murder late Sunday night and jailed without bail, said sheriff’s Deputy Bill Spear.
Authorities said it wasn’t known whether Price knew her assailant or what prompted the dispute. They said Hammer was arrested after deputies interviewed a half-dozen people, including Hammer, at a home on the street where Price was shot.
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 yesterday, 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.
An assault rifle was found at the murder scene and neighbors reported hearing six to 20 gunshots.
The Williams sisters issued a statement shortly after the shooting saying their family was overwhelmed with grief.
Venus flew on Sunday from New York to Los Angeles and Serena traveled from Toronto to gather with relatives. Price, a registered nurse who owned a beauty salon, was a personal assistant to her half-sisters.
“We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde,” the 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. Residents said 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. She was divorced and had three children, Jair, 5; Justus, 9; and Jeffrey, 11. She had moved to Corona, 64 kilometers from Compton in neighboring Riverside County, 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.
The five sisters were extremely close. Yetunde; Isha, a lawyer and singer; and Lyndrea, an actress and singer, could often be seen in stadium guest boxes and hotels with Venus and Serena.
When Venus and Serena Williams were children, Price was a caring, gentle role model. 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.”
