Family still seeking closure nearly 3 years after father of 8 murdered in Clarksville
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Almost three years ago, part of a large, tight-knit family was ripped away after a man was shot and killed in Clarksville.
“I couldn’t believe that, you know, that I was in this situation to where my son left before I did. I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t — I didn’t really believe it until I saw the body,” said Brian Williamson’s mother, Clara Williamson.
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Even years later, Clara still regularly checks the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stopper’s website where her son’s murder is listed under the unsolved cases in hopes that there might be some update with more answers. However, none have come.
“I know for my husband, it’s really hard not knowing what happened to his son; and he keeps asking me, ‘What are they gonna do? Have they found out anything?'” She said. “And I just keep saying I keep checking the website. And I don’t have anything, they don’t have any answers.”
Brian was well-loved by his family, who described him as extremely outgoing and someone who “never met a stranger.” Growing up in Jackson, his brother, Chris Williamson, said Brian was very protective over him and would stand up for anyone who was being picked on.
“He loved his family,” said Clara, who added that Brian had a large family of his own after settling down with his wife. Together they had eight kids now ranging in age from 10 to 22 years old.
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“No matter how bad or good it was, that man was a loveable person,” said one of Brian’s sons, Cortez Williamson. “All the way around the board. He showed everybody love. No matter who you were, he showed you love.”
The shooting unfolds
By the time he was 39, Brian moved to Clarksville to find better job opportunities. He had only been there for a few months before he was shot and killed on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. Clarksville police said the shooting happened around 10:50 p.m. in the 200 block of Caldwell Lane.
When officers arrived, they found Brian with gunshot wounds to his back and leg. At the time, authorities said he was “semi-conscious.” However, he later died from his injuries after being transported to Tennova Medical Center.
It’s still not entirely clear what happened the night Brian was shot, but Clara said she was told that he may have been trying to help a woman after her sister’s cell phone was stolen.
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“So, Brian, being a protector, he went to ask for the phone back. And from that point, I don’t know what went wrong,” she said. “Him and the guy took off running and whoever they confronted shot him. That’s all we know, and I don’t even know if that’s the truth.”
Investigators believe the suspect may have known Brian prior to the shooting. However, Clarksville police are still working to develop more information in the case.
The first person to receive a call from detectives was Brian’s brother, Chris. It was about four or five in the morning and Chris was at work. Initially, he said he thought it was a scam because the person on the other end was asking for his name and a lot of information.
“He told me he was a detective, then I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know. Did I do something wrong?’” Chris said. “And so, he described everything that was going on. And he told me that my brother had been shot and he did not make it, that he bled out.”
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Chris immediately left work so he could go home and wake up his parents. They were in such shock that at first, they didn’t believe him. Brian’s father, George Williamson, was also still recovering from a stroke, making the news even more difficult to process.
“They were like, ‘Chris, you’re joking.’ Cause a lot of times we played jokes on each other and stuff like that,” Chris said. “I don’t think I’ve ever played a joke that serious, but it took a minute to try to explain it.”
Williamson family still looking for closure
George and Clara last spoke to their son only a few weeks before his murder. Clara said she still remembers the phone call well. Brian was trying to comfort his father after his stroke, with some of his last words to his dad being, “I love you so much.”
“And he said that to all of us. And that was the last time we talked to him,” Clara said. “The next two weeks, that’s when we got the news.”
Now, almost three years later, the Williamson family is just hoping for some closure — to know what happened to Brian and why.
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“So that we can know — like I said he has eight kids — not to make the same mistakes or be in the same vicinity of certain people,” Chris said. “I’ve got three [kids]. So, it can be a teaching moment to say, you know, we lost Uncle Brian, and he was in this area with people who were in situations like this. Let’s not be in that situation.”
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for anyone who might have information leading to an arrest. Anyone who has information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS or click here to leave a tip online. All tipsters remain anonymous.
“Brian was a loving son, a loving father, and he didn’t deserve to have that happen to him,” Clara said. “If anybody has any information that they could give to the detective, please contact him. We just want to get this resolved.”
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