DETROIT (WXYZ) — Loved ones said 53-year-old Phebe Williams was known for surrounding herself with family and friends. They also said a longtime friend accused of shooting and killing Williams at a baby shower Sunday is known for being generous with her time in helping others.
The deadly shooting took place during an argument at a house on Edmore Street on Detroit's east side where the baby shower was being held.
Relatives of Williams tell 7 Action News that her longtime friend had not been invited but came anyway.
"She's a friend of the family. They'd been friends since they was kids," said Williams' niece Shavonda Carter. "I don't understand why would she even pull a gun out."
On Sunday, according to relatives of both women, they argued about one of Williams' sons who was also at the baby shower.
Williams' longtime friend, a 46-year-old Ypsilanti woman, had accused Williams' son of a crime, and even reportedly went to Detroit Police about it Friday.
During the argument, Phebe Williams reportedly hit her friend and someone else may have spit on her. The woman then produced a gun and fired a fatal shot, killing Williams.
"Y'all could have just fought. You didn't have to pull a gun," Carter said. "There's kids in the house. It's a lot of people in the house so why would you pull out a gun?"
The woman left the location and called Detroit Police to say what she had done as she headed to DPD's 9th precinct on Gratiot Avenue, just a few miles away from the house where the baby shower and shooting took place.
What the woman may not have been aware of is that Phebe Williams' son apparently followed her because he was also there in the parking lot of the police station and when the woman exited her vehicle, he struck her with his car.
Williams' son was taken into custody and the 46-year-old woman was also taken into custody and hospitalized for her injuries.
Relatives of the woman arrested believe the fatal shooting of Phebe Williams is a case of self-defense.
"As Chief White has indicated so many times, the senseless gun violence has to stop," said Detroit Police Captain Donna McCord, who described the female suspect's condition as "temp serious."
"Even licensed gun, CPL holders, which our shooter was, a licensed CPL holder, they have to be responsible with their weapons," Capt. McCord said. "If something happens and you need police assistance, please call us. Let us deal with the situation. Don't take the matter into your own hands. If you can get away, get away. Call 911. Let us come in and handle the situation."
Detroit Police homicide detectives are continuing to investigate and will turn their findings over to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for a determination on charges.
