Detective: Shell casing in suspect’s SUV linked him to fatal shooting at Lexington restaurant

Christopher Leach
·2 min read

A shell casing found inside a murder suspect’s SUV helped police link him to a deadly shooting at a fast-food restaurant, a Lexington Police Department detective confirmed in court Friday.

Police managed to use the shell casing and other evidence to charge 22-year-old Jacolby Williams with shooting and killing 18-year-old Dametrius Hampton outside the Cook Out restaurant on South Broadway in September, according to police. Hampton was declared dead on scene. Williams has also been charged with possessing a gun as a felon.

Testifying in a preliminary hearing Friday, Detective John Davis said Hampton stumbled into Williams, and the two got into a verbal altercation before Williams shot Hampton in the chest.

“Within just a couple of seconds, Mr. Williams reaches into his right pocket, pulls out his handgun and shoots Mr. Hampton before getting into an older model Ford Escape,” Davis said, describing in court how the incident unfolded.

Williams’ vehicle was found in a parking lot on E. Sixth Street with the help of Flock license plate readers and traffic cameras, according to Davis. A 9 mm shell casing was found inside the car, which matched the shell casing found on scene.

Several witnesses were on scene during the shooting and gave statements to police, identifying Williams as the shooter, Davis said. Surveillance footage also corroborated the witnesses’ statements.

Williams fired two shots, according to Davis. Hampton was also armed with a Glock 23 handgun, but Davis said his weapon wasn’t clearly visible.

Seven shots were fired at Williams’ vehicle as it was fleeing the scene, according to Davis. Davis said he knows who fired the additional shots, but no further information was provided about the additional gunfire.

Williams fled the state and was arrested in Phoenix on Oct. 19 as a result of an anonymous tip to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers, police previously said. He was extradited back to Lexington and booked into the Fayette County Detention Center on Nov. 7. He is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to jail records.

Judge John Tackett ultimately found probable cause in Williams’ case, sending it forward to a grand jury. Williams’ attorney made no arguments against Davis’ testimony or against the current amount of Williams’ bond.