Bay Area Community Mourns Murder of Young Musician Now Being Investigated as a Hate Crime`
Three white men assaulted and shot him outside a pool hall because he was black. One man is in custody, and police search for two other fugitives.
William Sims was probably not expecting to be jumped by three white men when he went to one of his hangouts, the Capri Club pool hall, on Nov. 12. But the gifted 28-year-old musician apparently encountered three men in the bar who decided to rob, beat, and then shoot him to death, all because he was black.
After gunning him down as he tried to flee outside the bar, Sims' assailants听 lying in the roadway听in the Bay Area suburb of El Sobrante. A police sergeant driving past on patrol found Sims around 2:10 a.m. He听was pronounced dead at the scene.
Now, one of his alleged assailants 鈥� Daniel Porter-Kelly, 31, of nearby Richmond 鈥� is behind bars, charged with murder and a hate crime. Two other white men 鈥撎�31-year-old Daniel Ortega, who resides in the area as well, and 32-year-old Ray Simons of Hercules 鈥� are being sought as his two accomplices in the killing.
Law听enforcement officials have warned that the two fugitives are They also announced that they had arrested Ortega鈥檚 mother, 54-year-old Renee Brown of Novato.
The murder has sparked both mourning and outrage in the Bay Area. he was a gentle and generous man.
鈥淗e was a very kind and loving person,鈥� his sister, Stacey Sims, 33, told the San Francisco Chronicle. She and Sims, she said, were raised by their parents in an听east Richmond home in a quiet subdivision.
鈥淗e loved music. He loved making friends. He was the best brother a sister could ever have. It鈥檚 been very difficult. It still seems unreal.鈥�
His parents, Bill and Renee Sims, pleaded with authorities to ensure their son鈥檚 killers received the due justice. 鈥淲e want to have justice,鈥� said Bill Sims, 72. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the worst thing that鈥檚 ever happened to me. He was not aggressive. He was never involved in any violence. He was always trying to befriend people, maybe to a fault.鈥�
Sims, according to , worked in retail and was a versatile musician. Harris said was largely self-taught on the guitar, saxophone, violin and piano, and also sang in a five-member ensemble.
鈥淨uiet, unassuming, yet humorous,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淗e loved music, especially jazz, and he was very devoted to his parents and his (older) sister, Stacey.鈥�
Harris said Sims was not performing at the Capri Club the night he died, though he had in the past.
The three men suspected in the crime were well known in the neighborhood where the murder happened, according to the Chronicle. Ortega was described by neighbors as 鈥渁 big, quiet guy鈥� who had been 鈥渘othing but polite, helpful and friendly,鈥� according to a woman who lived next door. 鈥淚鈥檓 shocked to hear this, really.鈥�
The owner of food and liquor store said he鈥檇 seen the three men frequently, and police used surveillance footage from his shop to help identify the men.
A local construction worker named Anthony Rayford, 39, wearing a red 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� hat, told the Chronicle that he鈥檇 hired the men to work for him previously.
鈥淚 would never expect that type of behavior out of them,鈥� said Rayford.听鈥淓very time they鈥檝e worked with me and for me, I鈥檝e never had any trouble with any of them. Always on time and hard workers. ... It鈥檚 hard for me to swallow that they would be charged for this.鈥�
The Richmond mayor鈥檚 office issued a statement denouncing the murder and urging citizens to join arms to combat hate crimes:
I am saddened and distressed as details emerge following the Nov. 12 murder of Richmond resident William Sims, whose death has been deemed the result of a hate crime. As we work to strengthen our city by bringing people together, we must acknowledge heinous acts of hatred, hostility, and violence that occur in our community and nation as a whole.
Though Mr. Sims鈥� death occurred outside of Richmond city limits in the nearby unincorporated community of El Sobrante, his passing has left our community stunned and seeking justice for a young man who will be remembered as a talented musician and a kindhearted member of our community.
鈥� I urge Richmond residents to maintain our city鈥檚 values of respect and care for one another, especially during a time when we are experiencing a nationwide surge in hate-filled hostility and threats to public safety. Racism, bigotry, discrimination, and all other forms of hatred and oppression have no place in our city.
Sims鈥� family and friends have also set up a 听to assist the family with funeral and other听costs.
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