Teyana Taylor, Essence, Apollo,, Innovator Award
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

March 2, 2025

Teyana Taylor, Tyra Banks, Cynthia Erivo, And More Given Due Flowers At Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards

The award show highlights Black women in entertainment.

The honorees at the 2025 Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards are getting their praise for their monumental careers.

Teyana Taylor, Tyra Banks, and Cynthia Erivo, as well as Raamla Mohamed and Marla Gibbs, received the top honors at the Essence event. In the event’s 18th year, it continues to uplift and highlight Black women in entertainment. Now, at a time where diversity remains at risk, this celebration has taken an even greater importance for the Black community and Hollywood.

Hosted by Cross star Aldis Hodge, the recorded event took place in Los Angeles on Feb. 27. To introduce each honoree, other Black women remarked on their accomplishments within the industry, including Niecy-Nash Betts for Taylor and Keke Palmer for Erivo. Taylor began her acceptance speech with a prayer to God for getting her to this point.

“Heavenly Father God, I thank you for who you are,” began an emotional Taylor. “…Thank you for reminding me that your blessings, your love, your grace and your prick and your patience with me doesn’t come with conditions, because baby, I know I get on your nerves sometimes. And though I get on your nerves sometimes, at all times, you take your time with me.

She added, “Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for accepting me in every form I’ve come to you. Thank you for wiping every tear away when I thought the weight was punishment. Because you made it super clear, now, that the weight wasn’t punishment, it was just preparation for what was already written for my life.”

Palmer then applauded Erivo for the impact she has had on fellow Black actresses like herself.

“This is why you’re one of my favorite actresses, because I see me in you… I do want to be liked, but I’m nobody’s victim and I will never let anyone change the lightness in my step and the crack in my smile,” said Palmer to a teary-eyed Erivo. “You possess and inject that fire into all your characters… The innocence that’s lost so early in womanhood or feeling invisible or just being the minority, we must always fight to protect that little person that knows they are more than what the world has told them they could be.”

Issa Rae also presented the award to Mohamed. Tichana Arnold spoke on Gibb’s influence, whose daughter, Angela, received the award on her behalf. As for Banks, she earned the inaugural Essence Luminary Spotlight. In her speech, she stated her commitment to creating new opportunities to showcase the lives and ambitions of Black women.

Black women across media and entertainment attended the Essence ceremony, such as Taraji. P Henson, Zoë Kravitz, Natasha Rothwell, and Meagan Good. Political commentator Joy-Ann Reid also made a surprise appearance on stage. There, she highlighted the importance of maintaining diversity in all forms, but especially in storytelling. Reid recently garnered national attention after MSNBC axed her show, referring to the matter as a “break up.”

The full 2025 Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards ceremony will premiere on Essence’s YouTube after its pre-show on March 3 at 7 p.m. EST.

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birthday, 107
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

March 2, 2025

Black Elder Celebrates 107th Birthday With Six Generations Of Family In Tow

Mary Thomas had her family--from her children to great-great-great grandchildren-- in attendance for her birthday party.

When Mary Thomas was born on Feb. 14, 1918, World War I still had months before ending.

Now, the elder had 107 years of life and family to celebrate at her latest birthday. Born in Dunbarton, Jamaica, she married Charlie Thomas and gave birth to 12 children. Thomas went on to have 25 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, 25 great-great-grandchildren, and five great-great-great-grandchildren.

Thomas spent most of her life in her homeland before moving to the United Kingdom 32 years ago. Her six generations of family threw her party at her Stonebridge home, located in the London borough of Brent. They, alongside family friends, came together to celebrate the woman who remains “a testament to resilience, adaptability and love.” 

“Mary’s family gathered to celebrate not just her incredible age, but the legacy of love and resilience she has built,” shared family friend Patricia Wharton, as reported by The New York Post. “The event was a testament to the strong bonds that [have] united six generations [of the family].”

She added, “Mary’s journey through life has been nothing short of extraordinary.” 

Known for “dressing up,” Thomas wore an all-white outfit with a matching fur-trimmed hat to her birthday celebration. While having a flair for fashion, her grandchildren still remember her as a “strict, no-nonsense grandmother.” Despite this, they still dote on the woman who paved the way for their large family.

Lovingly called “Mama,” her descendants surprised her with a numbers cake detailing her age. The family continues to be amazed by the matriarch, with the friend also noting her “exceptional memory” and “ability to recite scripture without prompting.”

Although the Thomas household lost its patriarch three decades ago, they continue to honor their history and elders. The friend also stated they all “cherished the opportunity” to celebrate the oldest living member of their family. As for her late husband, Thomas still speaks of him fondly, keeping his legacy alive for the next generation.

Although Thomas is not the oldest living person in the world, with the title reportedly belonging to Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, she remains among the few who have reached the centenarian status.

RELATED CONTENT: Woman Celebrates 106th Birthday at Walt Disney Resort

The driving force internship
by Sharelle B. McNair

March 2, 2025

Kimatni Rawlins’ ‘The Driving Force’ Internship Helps HBCU Students Become Automotive Industry Leaders

The internship program helps HBCU students succeed in different automotive industry spaces.

A number of HBCU students are driving into success thanks to a robust internship program, “The Driving Force,” driven by Black Automotive Media Group (BAMG).

Launched in 2020, the automotive internship program focuses on educating students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities on potential career opportunities in the automotive industry—but in roles such as marketing, communications, PR, and media. In the past five years, BAMG has welcomed over 300 students into the program, partnering with industry giants like Audi, Volkswagen, and Ford. 

The coalition was founded by Kimatni Rawlins, a second-generation automotive magazine publisher of Automotive Rhythms.

Early in his career, Rawlins recognized a gap in securing opportunities for the next generation in the automotive industry. “So we formed this coalition of seven journalists, then out of that came an opportunity to create career opportunities and new talent. So we said HBCUs rarely receive the resources from automotive unless it’s one of the bigger schools,” Rawlins tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. 

After that, it became “why don’t we create an internship program, showcase these students the various opportunities in the industry because you have marketing PR communications —all of these different avenues that they really weren’t thinking of as opportunities…even social media.”

This year, 18 students were accepted from Morgan State in Baltimore and 12 students from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. With each student comes a different driving force for what they hope to gain out of their 10-week internship.

A&T student Malachi Fuller says the program has helped him gain experience and explore career options but “a key takeaway from the internship is that my degree doesn’t limit me,” the Aggie tells BE. “Instead, it opens up a world of possibilities, allowing me to pursue almost anything my heart and mind desire within the industry.” 

Howard University partnered with Ford. Student Jawuan Freeman had the opportunity to work with TikTok under its Automotive Sales Track

“Getting my foot in the door is another huge priority for me, as I am neither afraid nor reluctant to start at the bottom and work my way up,” the Bison student says. “All the actions I’m taking now are stepping stones toward my future, ensuring that after I work hard, I can play hard.”

Past participating schools include Florida A&M University, which worked with Hyundai Motor America. In a press release, Hyundai CEO Randy Parker said the partnership reaffirmed “Hyundai’s dedication to fostering diversity within the industry.”

Daniel Weissland, president at Audi of America, said the program is “one small way we are changing and bringing diverse backgrounds and perspectives into the business.”

Rawlins smiles as he celebrates The Driving Force’s success going into the fifth year. “It just kind of blew up,” he says. With diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs being under national attack, he said it’s a great accomplishment.

“Actually, when creating diversity programs, we typically forecast just a two-year shelf life because corporate objectives change incessantly. Often times brands back out of commitments because they don’t see the bigger picture and community impact,” he says.  

In fact, he hopes to see more interactions from the corporations, adding a robust mentorship element in the future.

RELATED CONTENT: Natasha Broxton Drives Home The History Of Black Excellence In The Automotive Industry

Philadelphia, DEI, anti-equality
by Daniel Johnson

March 2, 2025

Texas Official In Tears After Lawmaker’s DEI Interrogation

Other Texas officials came to the defense of L'Oreal Stepney, the chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board, and a Black woman.

L’Oreal Stepney, the chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board, and a Black woman, received support from Texas lawmakers after a Feb. 27 subcommittee hearing in the Texas House of Representatives on budget recommendations turned into a referendum on diversity, equity and inclusion, which brought Chairwoman Stepney to tears.

According to KUT News, the hearing should have been routine, and was, largely, until Republican Rep. Brian Harrison hijacked the budget hearing and began peppering Stepney with questions regarding whether the TWDB’s hiring practices were in compliance with the orders of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from state agencies.

For more than 15 minutes, chairwoman Stepney faced a line of questioning from Rep. Harrison that eventually led to him reading aloud the agency’s strategic plan.

This extended line of questioning, which forced the chairwoman to defend her résumé and decades of public service, led to her becoming emotional and breaking down in tears, a rare occurrence for chairwoman Stepney.

According to Chron.com, Stepney, whom Abbott appointed, and later defended on social media, said in the hearing that she doesn’t usually get emotional.

However, she also took the time to commemorate nearly 33 years working for the State of Texas and listed two of her degrees from the University of Texas, one in aerospace engineering and the other in civil engineering, as one of her many accolades and qualifications for her role.

Abbott’s push against DEI could rightfully be seen as the genesis of this ugly moment in the Texas House, but chairwoman Stepney still expressed her gratitude to Abbott in the hearing and recounted that serving Texas is an honor to her.

“I sat across the table from the EPA, IBWC, and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, fighting the fight to make sure Texas was protected,” Stepney said, clutching onto her Kleenex. “When they disagreed, I went to bat for Texas; it has been my life’s honor.”

Rep. Harrison was not satisfied going after chairwoman Stepney, but also went after another Black board member, Deputy Executive Administrator Edna Jackson and acting Chief Financial Officer Georgia Sanchez.

These attacks spurred Rep. Nicole Collier, a Black Democrat representing Fort Worth, to clarify that the “historically underutilized business” requirements present in the board’s guiding documents did not explicitly refer to race, as Rep. Harrison attempted to establish earlier in the proceedings.

Rep. Collier also weighed in on the notion that she, or any other Black person, has to be put in the position of justifying their Blackness just because it makes other people uncomfortable.

“I’m tired of having to justify my blackness, and if someone feels inferior to me because I am Black, then that is a matter that is something that has to do with them, not me,” Collier said. “To have to watch two Black women try to defend the need to correct 246 years of systemic racism when we had slavery is offensive. It is offensive to me, and it is offensive to all black people.”

After the exchange which led to Rep. Collier’s comments, Rep. Armando Walle, the chair of the subcommittee, comforted Stepney briefly before addressing Rep. Harrison and his offensive line of questioning.

“We’ve reached our goddamned limit already to attacks on people’s character, on people’s qualifications, based on only one single thing. The color of their skin. We’re proud Americans….That flag, it belongs to all of us. The rhetoric, the comments, the inuendo, the attacks on people’s character has to stop. … This must end. This must end,” Rep. Walle said.

RELATED CONTENT: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Issues Executive Order Banning DEI Policies

Tesla, ridesharing
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 2, 2025

Tesla Seeks California Permit For Driverless Ridesharing, Eyeing Competition With Uber And Waymo

Tesla is gearing up to enter the rideshare industry to compete with Uber and Lyft.

Elon Musk’s Tesla took a significant step toward becoming a ridesharing service by applying for a transportation permit in California.

Bloomberg reports that newly obtained documents reveal Tesla’s application for a transportation charter-party carrier permit from the California Public Utilities Commission. This classification would allow Tesla to own and control a fleet of vehicles to offer ride-hailing services and compete with Uber, Lyft, and Waymo.

The permit application comes months after Musk announced that Tesla would launch driverless ride-hailing in Austin in June, with plans to expand to California by the end of the year. The application also comes as the electric vehicle (EV) company experiences a decline in sales, posting its first annual sales drop in over a decade.

The first quarter shows signs of a lag in sales in key markets like the U.S. and Europe. As Tesla’s core EV business faces challenges, Musk has heavily invested in autonomous driving, robotics, and artificial intelligence as key drivers of future growth.

In January, Musk told investors that the company would soon enter the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system.

“I’m confident that we will release unsupervised FSD in California this year,” he said. “We’re just putting our toe in the water, then a few toes, then a foot, then leg. We’re looking for a safety level that is significantly above the average human driver.”

Autonomous vehicles are gaining momentum, with Uber preparing to launch autonomous ride-hailing services in partnership with Waymo in Austin and Atlanta later this year. Tesla is applying for the same type of permit used by Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s robotaxi business.

While Tesla has approval to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver in California, it has neither applied for nor received a permit for driverless testing or deployment from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. However, in its communications with California officials, Tesla mentioned driver’s license information and drug-testing coordination, indicating that the company plans to use human drivers initially.

RELATED CONTENT: Tesla’s Discrimination Lawsuit Will Be Heading to Court

Paramount, BET, DEI
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 2, 2025

Paramount ‘Changes’ How It Approaches Inclusion Amid Trump’s Attacks On DEI

Paramount is the latest company to rethink its DEI strategy amid Donald Trump's attacks on inclusion initiatives.

Paramount, BET’s parent company, is adjusting its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders restricting such initiatives.

The New York Times obtained a memo sent to Paramount’s co-chief executives on Feb. 26, outlining changes to the company’s DEI policies. In response to Trump’s push to eliminate diversity programs in both the federal government and the private sector, Paramount stated that its policies “require changes in the way the company approaches inclusion moving forward.”

“With our business objectives firmly in mind, we will continue to evaluate our programs and approach to ensure that we are widening our aperture to attract talent from all geographies, backgrounds and perspectives,” the memo said. “That may mean expanding existing programs while ending others.”

The memo sent by Paramount co-chief executives Brian Robbins, George Cheeks, and Chris McCarthy announced changes, including discontinuing the use of aspirational hiring goals based on race, ethnicity, sex, or gender, halting the collection of gender and diversity data for many U.S. job applicants, and removing the DEI component from its employee incentive plan.

The changes come as Paramount’s multibillion-dollar merger with Hollywood studio Skydance is under review by the Federal Communications Commission, whose chairman, Brendan Carr, has criticized DEI policies. Carr sent a letter to Comcast earlier this month, notifying the cable giant of his investigation into DEI policies to eliminate “invidious forms of discrimination” within the media sector.

Paramount is the latest company to reevaluate its approach to DEI since Trump returned to office in January. Other major companies, including Target, Walmart, Meta, and Disney, have made similar adjustments to their diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Paramount has already started removing references to D.E.I. from its public statements. Its “Global Inclusion” page no longer mentions DEI and the company is also eliminating the term from its annual financial filing. This sharply contrasts with the company’s DEI page last May, which highlighted how D.E.I. was embedded “into every aspect of our employee experience.”

RELATED CONTENT: Citigroup Becomes Latest Company To Backtrack On DEI Commitments

Commanders, Daron Payne, Amon-Ra St. Brown
by Daniel Johnson

March 1, 2025

Martin Mayhew, Washington Commanders Scouting Exec, Announces Retirement

Mayhew has spent 26 years in the front offices of various NFL teams.

Martin Mayhew, the Washington Commanders’ senior personnel executive and advisor to the GM, will retire this off-season instead of returning to the role he played last season, crafting a historically great draft class for the franchise.

According to a Washington Commanders NFL media report, General Manager Adam Peters said during his press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine that the opportunity to work alongside Mayhew was one of the biggest reasons he was excited to take the position with the Commanders.

“When I got here, he was one of the first people I really wanted to keep and work with,” Peters said. “I was lucky enough that he wanted to stay, and we couldn’t have done what we did last year without him.”

Peters indicated that the Commanders don’t have any plans to replace Mayhew with a new hire.

Mayhew, who spent 26 years in the front offices of various NFL teams, preceded Peters in the role of GM at Washington in 2021, one of five Black GMs in the league at the time.

https://twitter.com/andscape/status/1352635884487630850?s=19

Mayhew guided the 2024 draft class, featuring rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and other key contributors Mike Sainristil, Johnny Newton, Brandon Coleman, and Ben Sinnott.

According to NFL.com, Washington’s 2024 class received the best grade in the NFL because the rookies selected by the team in that draft class helped the Commanders to their best finish since 1991.

“He was instrumental in everything we did in terms of the draft and free agency,” Peters said of Mayhew. “He made a lot of big deals in free agency. He’s a great friend, great confidant, and a great person.”

Mayhew and Peters worked together in the front office of the San Francisco 49ers between 2017 and 2018, but Mayhew’s time with the Detroit Lions may be his most impressive work.

Mayhew is credited with selecting probable future Hall of Fame quarterback Matthew Stafford, and defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Ezekiel Ansah. While with Detroit, Suh was named Rookie of the Year in 2010 and was a three-time First All-Pro selection.

Mayhew also played for Washington between 1989 and 1992. He started at cornerback for the team in Super Bowl 26, which they won 37-24 against the Buffalo Bills, the team that originally drafted Mayhew in the 10th round in 1988.

“Just wanted to thank him for all he’s given to this franchise and this league. He will be missed…He’s a true Commander,” Peters said.

RELATED CONTENT: Doug Williams Promoted To Senior Advisor To Washington Commanders’ General Manager

Detroit Police,facial recognition
by Daniel Johnson

March 1, 2025

Detroit Woman Sues Police Department After Faulty Facial Recognition Leads To Unjust Arrest

LaDonna Crutchfield, a Black woman, is suing the police over a wrongful arrest she says is due to faulty facial recognition.

LaDonna Crutchfield, a 37-year-old Black woman, recently filed a federal complaint against the Detroit Police Department in connection with a 2024 arrest she says was carried out under false pretenses due to the department’s use of facial identification software.

According to NBC News, Crutchfield was removed from her home by police who subsequently accused her of being their central suspect in an attempted murder case, and per the lawsuit, “was identified as a suspect by an unknown facial recognition database.”

Ivan Land, Crutchfield’s lawyer, told NBC News on Feb. 28 that police investigators knew the name of their suspect, which meant that Crutchfield should never have been a suspect to begin with. In addition, Crutchfield is five inches shorter and several years younger than that suspect, which should have further eliminated Crutchfield.

The police, meanwhile, claim that they never used facial recognition technology to identify Crutchfield as the suspect. Instead, they essentially made a case that they arrived at that conclusion through rushed and shoddy detective work.

According to Detroit Police Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald, police initially linked Crutchfield to the crime via a partial license plate of the shooter; this, according to Land, was later linked to a house where one of her relatives used to live, which led to a picture of Crutchfield, which Fitzgerald said presented circumstantial evidence that Crutchfield could have been the shooter.

“The plate also had that there was this woman (the actual suspect) who had a young kid with them in the car,” Fitzgerald said. “She (Crutchfield) has a young child. But unfortunately they didn’t go just deep enough to look to see that it’s also connected to another female that fits the description who has since been charged with this case.”

Following her release from police custody, which required Crutchfield to be fingerprinted and provide a DNA sample, she returned to get a detective letter stating she was not a suspect to present to her jobs out of fear she would be fired for getting arrested.

“Ms. Crutchfield was required to appear for an interview held at the Detroit Detention Center,” Detective Marc Thompson wrote in a letter, which is also included in Crutchfield’s lawsuit. “However I am able to declare Ms. Crutchfield is not the subject involved in this criminal investigation.”

Crutchfield’s lawsuit does not name a dollar amount for damages, but she indicates in the lawsuit that she is traumatized by her experience.

The Detroit Police either “knew or should have known that their conduct would cause severe emotional distress to” Crutchfield, “especially in light of the public nature of the arrest and the presence of her children and neighbors,” the lawsuit states.

In 2020, Tawana Petty, the director of the Data Justice Program at Detroit Community Technology Project and the co-lead of the Our Data Bodies Project, wrote an op-ed for Wired, indicating that facial recognition technology presented a clear and present danger to Black Americans.

As Vice reported in 2020, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said that the department’s technology at the time was so faulty that its policy advised it not to take what it produced at face value.

As Petty cautioned in her piece, this variation on hyper-surveillance is no good for Black people in general but is of particular malice to Black Americans in Detroit—more recent incidents in Detroit support just how right her warning was.

“We see the videos of the people police hurt and kill—but the surveillance that led to that brutality is often hidden from us. Surveillance is the foundation of modern policing. It has ties to a long racist legacy, from the branding of enslaved people to the Lantern Laws of the 18th century. Police and politicians defend these programs by claiming they are intended to keep people safe. But for Black people, surveillance ain’t safety,” Petty wrote.

RELATED CONTENT: Detroit Police AI Software Policies Pivot Amid Wrongful 2020 Arrest Of Black Man

Denzel Washington, Black panther
by Mary Spiller

March 1, 2025

Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, And More Reveal Hollywood’s Secrets In New Doc ‘Number One On The Call Sheet

'Number One On The Call Sheet' premieres March 28 on Apple TV.

Apple TV released a new trailer for an upcoming documentary featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest Black stars discussing the industry and their roles within it. “Number One on the Call Sheet,” featuring Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx, among others, premieres March 28.

The Apple TV two-part documentary will spotlight Hollywood’s Black cinema stars and allow them to open up about their path to greatness.

“Number One on the Call Sheet” offers a raw and honest account of tackling the challenges they have faced in Hollywood.

“Number One on the Call Sheet” actually features two films. The first is “Black Leading Men in Hollywood,” directed by Academy Award-winner Reginald Hudlin, and the second is “Black Leading Women in Hollywood,” directed by Shola Lynch, an NAACP Image Award-winner.

Hudlin explained in a press release, “It doesn’t matter what business you’re in. Learning about their mindset, their grit, and their unique definitions of success will be inspirational to every viewer. I can’t wait for the world to see it.”

Both parts of the documentary aim to highlight the collective story of how Black actors have risen to the top in an industry with a history of marginalizing and undervaluing them.

The Apple TV show has an all-star lineup, listing names like Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, Viola Davis, Morris Chestnut, Michael B. Jordan, Taraji P. Henson, and Octavia Spencer to sit in honest interviews on their stardom.

“Number One on the Call Sheet” is produced by Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Datari Turner, and Dan Cogan. The two-part documentary will include content that spans generations of Black Hollywood juggernauts discussing the reality of navigating the industry and having historic milestones.

“‘Number One on the Call Sheet’ celebrates the grit, strength, and brilliance of those who came before us while uplifting the next generation,” Bassett said in a press release. “It’s an honor to pay homage to the legends and shine a light on the limitless possibilities ahead for Black and brown talent.”

“Number One on the Call Sheet” premieres March 28 on Apple TV.

RELATED CONTENT: Denzel Washington Opens Up About Nearly Biting His Tongue Off, Impacting Speech Before Broadway Return

Ben Crump , atv shooting
by Mary Spiller

March 1, 2025

Family Of Man Fatally Shot By White Neighbor While ATV Riding Hires Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump

Ja'Keem Williams was shot and killed by Ralph Hensel for ATV riding in a neighborhood.

The family of Ja’Keem Williams, a Black man fatally shot while riding an ATV in a Winter Garden neighborhood in Flordia by 57-year-old Ralph Hensel, who is white, has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them.

Crump stood by the Williams family in a press conference on Feb. 28 and called upon the public and authorities to act with “transparency” and “justice” as the case proceeded.

Crump said, “We’re asking for full transparency. We’re asking that the truth be told so that we can get justice. We want criminal culpability for this…[we can’t] call him [Hensel] a vigilante because Ja’Keem wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

Crump continued passionately, “This person [Hensel] who thought he had a right to impose his will on the people who lived adjacent to his apartment complex…Ja’Keem did not deserve to be taken from this earth like this.”

As reported by Fox35 Orlando, the Winter Garden Police Department arrested Hensel after he shot and killed Williams, 32. Williams was riding his ATV through the neighborhood at the time of the shooting, and police discovered Williams unresponsive at the Bay Pointe apartments on Feb. 20.

Hensel told authorities that he previously expressed frustration with ATV riders in the neighborhood and had even told law enforcement that if officers did not intervene, he would “take action himself.”

Hensel disclosed that he worked for the apartment complex leasing office. He’s currently facing a first-degree murder charge. According to Orange County court records, Hensel is being held without bond.

Crump referenced transparency in the case, as police have not yet revealed if Hensel specifically targeted Williams or any details surrounding Hensel’s defense. Williams’ family described Ja’Keem as a loving father to five children, sharing three with Briana Bermudez and acting as a father figure to Sierra Rose’s two children. He was described as “kindhearted and non-confrontational.”

RELATED CONTENT: Woman Convicted Of Manslaughter In Shooting Of Neighbor

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