COMPTON, Calif. – A 24-year-old man was arrested for investigation of murder in the fatal shooting of the older sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, authorities said Monday. Sheriff’s deputies were still searching for two other possible suspects.
Yetunde Price, 31, was shot in the chest early Sunday about a mile from the tennis courts where her sisters first rose to prominence in this Los Angeles suburb that has long been notorious for gang activity and violence.
Price had been sitting with a man in a sport utility vehicle when “somehow they had become involved in a confrontation with the local residents,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Pena.
“That dispute led to gunfire and the woman was shot in the upper torso,” Deputy Scott Butler said Monday.
The suspect was identified as Aaron Michael Hammer, 24, of Compton. He was booked for investigation of murder late Sunday night and jailed without bail, said sheriff’s Deputy Bill Spear. Two other possible suspects were being sought, Butler said.
Authorities said it wasn’t known whether Price knew her assailant or what prompted the dispute. They said Hammer was arrested after deputies interviewed a half-dozen people, including Hammer, at a home on the street where Price was shot.
The man with Price was not hurt and drove her to a relative’s house in Long Beach, from which he called 911, Pena said. Price was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where she died.
Early Monday, authorities identified the man with Price as Rolland Wormley, 28. He was jailed after authorities discovered he was on parole, which they said he violated by being at the scene of the shooting. It wasn’t disclosed what he was on parole for.
Authorities said it wasn’t known whether Price knew her assailant or what prompted the dispute. An assault rifle was found at the murder scene and neighbors reported hearing six to 20 gunshots.
The Williams sisters issued a statement shortly after the shooting saying their family was overwhelmed with grief.
Venus flew Sunday from New York to Los Angeles and Serena traveled from Toronto to gather with relatives. Price, a registered nurse who owned a beauty salon, was a personal assistant to her half-sisters.
“We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde,” the family said in the statement.
“She was our nucleus and our rock. She was personal assistant, confidant, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled. Our grief is overwhelming, and this is the saddest day of our lives,” the statement said.
The tree-shaded street where Price died is lined with homes with barred windows. Residents gunfire is a common weekend disruption.
