Man Charged in Brother’s Death
This video is no longer available.
The Bolivar twin charged with killing his brother was picked up on a reckless homicide indictment, Wednesday. On April 12, Jeremy Williams told police he was playing with a handgun when it accidentally went off, killing his twin brother. “We are the police department and we have the responsibility to investigate, and if there is a criminal situation that fits this, we have to react to it, regardless of how we feel,” said Chief Bill Irons of the Bolivar Police Department. Chief Irons says the case was referred to the grand jury. He said even though he believes the firearm used in the shooting was bought off the street, an investigation revealed the gun had no link to a previous crime and was not stolen. “It’s a most unfortunate incident, but it still happened and we have to address the rights and wrongs of it. There’s no way around that,” said Chief Irons. Members of the Bolivar community said even though this incident was an accident, it still resulted in a death. “I think it’s a tragedy any way you look at it. On one hand, carelessness with a firearm. We’ve had another case in Bolivar of what can happen when playing with firearms, but on the other hand an accident is an accident,” said Jason Vaughan, a Bolivar resident. Vaughan said he thinks a conviction is unlikely. “The family has already lost one member and if it is truly an accident then they don’t need to persecute him for an accident,” said Tika Newman, a Bolivar resident. Newman said although she does not think the Bolivar teen should serve time. She thinks Williams should have known not to play with a firearm. “I think they should give him some type of counseling and if he hasn’t been in any kind of trouble, he’s a good guy, I think they should give him counseling and work with him,” said Larry Wilks, a Bolivar resident. Chief Irons said he is proud of the way the district attorney general has handled the case. “The DA’s office usually makes plea bargains in this type thing. We have an excellent DA general in this county. He’s a very fair man. I’ll just leave it at that,” said Chief Irons. He says, still, there is a lesson to be learned. “If you have weapons in your house, secure them. If you have children in your home, search everything they’ve got. They don’t have a house, you do and it’s your responsibility to search you own house. I used to search my kid’s room all the time. He didn’t know it, but I would,” said Chief Irons. Williams is currently free on a $5,000 bond. According to the chief, he is scheduled to make his first court appearance, Thursday.
