Man, 24, held over fatal shooting of Williams sister

A 24-YEAR-OLD MAN has been arrested following the shooting dead of the older sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

Police are still searching for two other possible suspects.

Yetunde Price, 31, was shot in the chest early on 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. She 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 LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Pena.

“That dispute led to gunfire and the woman was shot in the upper torso,” Deputy Scott Butler said.

The suspect was identified as Aaron Michael Hammer, 24, of Compton.

Authorities said it wasn’t known whether Ms 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 Ms Price was shot. An assault rifle was found at the murder scene and neighbours reported hearing six to 20 gunshots.

The man with Ms 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 yesterday, authorities identified the man with Ms Price as Rolland Wormley, 28. He was jailed after authorities discovered he was on parole, which they said he violated by being at the murder scene.

The Williams sisters issued a statement shortly after the shooting saying their family was overwhelmed with grief. Venus flew on Sunday from New York and Serena from Toronto to gather with relatives. Ms 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.”

Residents in the street where Ms Price died say gunfire is a common weekend disruption. Rodolfo Pulido, 35, who lives around the corner, was awakened by the shots but did not go outside. “Week after week, I hear gunfire. It’s common,” he said.

Price was one of five sisters who spent their early years in Compton. She was divorced and had three children, Jair, 5; Justus, 9; and Jeffrey, 11.

The five sisters were extremely close. Yetunde; Isha, a lawyer and singer; and Lyndrea, an actress and singer, could often be seen in stadiums and hotels with Venus and Serena. When Venus and Serena were children, Ms Price was a caring, gentle role model.

As recently as this summer, she helped with her sisters’ personal business matters, cheering them on, the sister who never showed any jealousy of their success. Venus, eight years younger than Ms Price, and Serena, a little more than nine years younger, often spoke about the gunshots they heard as they played tennis on public courts in Compton.

When they turned professional as teenagers, they moved with their parents to Florida, in part for the courts and the coaching and in part to escape the violence.