Protest held outside Canton Police Department for man killed by officer

Cassandra Nist, The Repository
·2 min read
Texas attorney Joseph Gourrier, who is representing the family of James Williams, speaks Saturday at a protest outside the Canton Police Department.
Texas attorney Joseph Gourrier, who is representing the family of James Williams, speaks Saturday at a protest outside the Canton Police Department.

CANTON – Family members and supporters gathered Saturday outside of the Canton Police Department in protest of the officer-involved shooting death of 46-year-old James Williams.

His wife Marquetta Williams has retained Texas attorney Joseph Gourrier to represent the family surrounding her husband's death.

More: What we know about the Canton police shooting of 46-year-old James Williams

A crowd of about 30 citizens gathered just after 3 p.m.

"I want justice for my husband and I want this officer terminated. We need his badge. This is not going underneath the rug," Marquetta Williams said.

More: 'Today is not the day for judgment': Law enforcement experts weigh in on Canton shooting

More: Body cam footage: Officer shoots before yelling, "Police! Get down now!"

Gourrier said he is in the process of trying to retain information and records from public officials. He also said that Williams "did not commit a crime that night by firing his weapon into the air because that's legal here in the state of Ohio."

State Attorney General Dave Yost previously told The Canton Repository that it was a crime.

What happened to Williams?

James Williams was firing an AR-15 into the air repeatedly at 12:06 a.m. New Year's Day to celebrate the new year when he was shot by a Canton police officer who was in the area investigating a call for shots fired.

The officer, who has not yet been identified, saw a male with a firearm firing a weapon from behind a 6-foot fence and fired into the fence, fatally wounding Williams.

The officer was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation being conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at the request of the Canton Police Department.

Police have declined to comment but said in an initial news release that the officer feared for his safety.

Reach Cassandra at cnist@gannett.com; Twitter @Cassienist

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Community protests police-involved shooting of James Williams