Police deem Williams shooting inactive

CLOVIS — Five months ago, Franzes Williams lost her daughter in a drive-by shooting outside of her Clovis apartment.

Williams knows nothing will ever bring Tchicaya “Caya” Williams back to her and the six children she left behind. But every day that passes, she told The News, is a day with fear and without closure.

“We need to find out why,” Williams said. “That’s my main thing right there. Why would you shoot at an apartment full of kids and their mama?”

Williams spoke to The News last week in frustration, as the Nov. 29 shooting has been deemed inactive by the Clovis Police Department.

“I’m going to do anything I can to get results for my daughter,” said Williams, who said she has routinely called the CPD without response beyond the occasional sitdown discussion to placate her. “In my eyes, everybody’s sitting around not doing anything. Why do I have to sit and listen to (police) say my daughter’s case is inactive?”

The CPD definition of an inactive case, Lt. Trevor Thron said, is one where all investigative leads have been exhausted and the case cannot be brought to a conclusion. The shooting of Williams at the Sedona apartment complex unfortunately meets that description, Thron said.

“If and when we obtain additional information, we will re-activate this case and continue investigating it,” Thron told The News. “As it stands now, we have interviewed numerous people, canvassed the area and spoke to several neighbors, reviewed surveillance videos — none of which show the shooting nor the suspect vehicle, or have led us to affect an arrest.”

Thron said efforts to reach out to Tchicaya Williams’ kids for additional information has been unsuccessful. Franzes Williams confirmed those efforts, but said her grandchildren do not have additional information about the case.

“Every day is a struggle to get by,” Franzes said. “All of (my grandchildren) have nightmares, but my youngest ones have the most. I have to leave my door open. They see that night over and over, and they see their mother on the floor.”

Franzes Williams told The News who the family believes is responsible for the shooting, but that police haven’t done anything with the information. Thron said the department has had numerous interviews and conducted searches on his residence, but has not found sufficient evidence to connect or charge him with the shooting.

The News does not routinely name suspects in a crime until or unless they are charged.

“Unfortunately,” Thron said, “there have been many theories and rumors as to what led to this murder. We have chased down every theory and rumor that has been presented to us, which has turned out to be false or dead-end leads. At this time, we don’t have any other leads to investigate and this case has come to a standstill.”

Williams said her family is receiving constant threats, and detailed two instances where she said vehicles followed her and shouted obscenities. The family, she said, is priced out of various houses in their effort to relocate her family away from the complex — where she says her family are sitting ducks and neighbors understandably fear for their safety.

“They could be outside playing,” she said of her grandchildren. “If they see an unfamiliar car, and it comes through twice, they’re running into the house.”