Derrick Williams: Florida man arrested after fatally shooting girlfriend in front of children aged 4 and 1
MIRAMAR, FLORIDA: Derrick Bargman-Williams, a man from Florida, is accused of fatally shooting his partner and trying to escape from the home while carrying a gun.
This isn't the first legal issue he has encountered; Williams was earlier arrested on charges of domestic violence after he punched his pregnant girlfriend Singleton in the face.
In the recent tragic incident, he shot his wife in front of their children, prompting them to cry out, "Daddy did it."
Police found Derrick Williams' partner unresponsive
According to Law&Crime, Miramar police responded to a ShotSpotter call reporting approximately seven shots fired at around 8.20 am on Wednesday.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the victim, 25-year-old Jessica Frankel Singleton, lying unresponsive on her side outside her home next to a car.
Paramedics transported Singleton to the hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Bargman-Williams and Singleton had been engaged in an argument throughout the night, escalating into a physical altercation in the morning.
The dispute spilled outdoors, and it was during this altercation that Bargman-Williams allegedly produced a gun, shooting Singleton in the chest, as documented.
The affidavit detailed that he continued firing at her torso and back as she attempted to escape. Their children, aged 4 and 1, were witnesses to the traumatic event.
One of the children tearfully exclaimed, "Daddy did it to mommy, and mommy is dead."
A door camera captured Bargman-Williams fleeing, with his son in pursuit, repeatedly crying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy."
As he continued to run, it prompted a frantic police response in the neighborhood. Law enforcement eventually apprehended the accused murderer hiding behind bushes a couple of blocks away, with the alleged murder weapon discovered in his backpack.
What happened to Derrick Williams' domestic violence charges?
Following charges in 2019 for assaulting Singleton, who was pregnant at the time, Williams was arrested about two weeks later for allegedly violating a no-contact order. Initially, he provided a false name to the police, citing fear of law enforcement.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office dropped the domestic violence case as records indicate the victim chose not to cooperate.
Stefanie Newman, the prosecutor overseeing the domestic violence unit, stated, "It is not uncommon for victims of domestic violence to be fearful about reporting allegations of abuse,”
He added, “The national statistics indicate that a victim of intimate partner violence will suffer abuse approximately eight times before they are willing to report the abuse, leave their abuser and/or follow through with the prosecution of the abuser."
He concluded, "We want victims and survivors of intimate partner violence to know that our prosecutors and victim advocates, working with our partners in law enforcement, are here to help them.”
