Man Faces Murder Charge After Firing at Girlfriend's Ex-Boyfriend But Fatally Shooting His Friend

A New York City man was charged with murder following an incident where he opened fire at his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, but fatally shot his friend instead.

March 11, 2022

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A man in New York City was charged with murder Thursday after he shot and killed the friend of his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, New York Daily Newsreports.

The incident occurred Tuesday night when Tyrell Rodgers, 28, allegedly opened fire in the direction of her ex-boyfriend, striking him in the right arm. However, it was his friend, 31-year-old Kenneth Williams, who was hit in the abdomen. Both men were rushed to a nearby hospital where the ex-boyfriend was in stable condition, but Williams was pronounced dead.

“It was scary,” witness Ralph Tupas recalled. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“He was lying on his front, shot in the stomach,” Tupas said of Williams. “He was still struggling. The other guy was shot in the arm. He ran across the street and into a building.”

Rodgers was arrested after being found in the Bronx by the NYPD’s Regional Fugitive Task Force. It’s unclear what was the motivation behind his actions, aside from possible jealousy. Rodgers has also been charged with robbery over an incident earlier this year where he allegedly pulled out a gun while demanding to see his girlfriend’s phone as she was holding her one-year-old son.

Williams leaves behind a young daughter that those in the community said he cared for deeply. “He stayed to himself. He loved his daughter,” local resident Nay Adams said of Williams. “I feel sad, and I have a lot of mixed emotions because it’s like that was someone who was close to me. He didn’t deserve that.”