Williams was hired by the Alameda County sheriff’s office last year, after a brief stint with Stockton Police. Officials said he did not pass a field probationary period in Stockton, and was let go by that department.
Williams knew the couple, but investigators were still trying “to fine-tune their connection” and determine the motive, according to Alameda County sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Ray Kelly.
The sheriff’s department says both victims, a man and a woman, died in the residence. They have one child, whom law enforcement believe was at home at the time of the shooting and was not injured. Also in the home was a male relative of the couple who was visiting.
The male relative was unhurt and was talking to detectives about what occurred, Kelly said.
![Photo of two large badges behind a display window with the words 'loyalty, leadership and integrity'](https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/09/RS21438_IMG_4887-qut-800x600.jpg)
“This was not a random crime,” Kelly said. “This is a very bizarre chain of events that unfolded.”
Kelly said Williams went through “some significant events” in his life in the last few months that led to the killings but did not specify what had happened.
“A lot of those events went undiscovered and undisclosed and we’re going to be looking into that. There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he said.
Kelly said Williams had been with the sheriff’s office since September 2021 and was still on probation. He had been assigned to the Oakland courthouse and there were no concerns about his job performance.
“This is a tragedy. We’re all in shock here,” Kelly said.
Wednesday was Williams’ one-year anniversary with the sheriff’s office, and the agency’s investigators were spending it trying to figure out what prompted the violence.
“He grew up in a very affluent home, well-loved, graduated from college with honors, was really a remarkable young person. How we got here today, it will be part of our investigation and something we’re looking at,” Kelly said.
Williams, who is from Stockton, briefly worked with the Stockton Police Department, where he completed their police academy but was ultimately let go after he failed their field training program, Kelly said.
Stockton Police spokesperson Officer Joseph Silva said he could not discuss why Williams left the department because it is a “personnel matter.” He confirmed Williams worked for the Stockton Police Department from January 2020 to January 2021.
The Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Alameda County, the union that represents rank-and-file deputies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dazio reported from Los Angeles. KQED’s Alex Emslie contributed to this report.