Lewis Williams: Tributes paid to ‘pure and polite’ young man shot dead close to home in Doncaster

Lewis Williams was shot and killed close to his home
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This is the first picture of a “bubbly and happy” young man shot dead in a “targeted” attack close to his home.

The victim, named locally as Lewis Williams, 20, was described by family as “the best thing in the world” as tributes flooded social media.

Witnesses said the scene was “utter chaos” as paramedics found the man dying in Wath Road in Mexborough from multiple gunshot wounds at 4.30pm on Monday afternoon.  

Friends and family gathered at the scene on Tuesday to lay candles and remember Mr Williams.

Tributes have been paid to Lewis online, with his brother Jason Williams posting on Facebook: “Proper love him so much, best thing in world he was, honestly the proudest brother of all time.”

His close friend Rebecka Easton told the Standard: “Lewis was amazing, he was so pure, and so polite. He respected everyone he came across. 

"You never ever saw Lewis without a smile and that’s how he will be remembered by many - his bubbly, happy self.

“He was a very popular boy the family are coping from the strength of each other at the moment as any normal human would. They need the space to grieve.”

A statement from an unnamed family member read:  “Lewis devastatingly lost his life to gun crime at the age of 20  in a targeted attack and now the family will have to endure burying their beloved son, brother, partner and uncle.”

Three people have since been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the shooting, South Yorkshire Police said.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested by police in the early hours of this morning and two others have also been arrested.

A 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, both from the Doncaster area, have today been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody.     

Doncaster Superintendent Neil Thomas said: “There will be a large number of officers in the area in the coming days as we continue to investigate this horrendous incident, in which a young man has tragically died.

“We believe that the incident yesterday was a targeted attack.

“We now need the help of the community to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. I would urge anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who has any information which may help, to talk to us.”

Detectives are particularly keen to hear from anyone who was driving in the area of Wath Road around the time of the incident who may possess dash cam footage that could assist with the investigation.

Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact 101 quoting incident number 495 of 11 January 2021 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or submit information via their website crimestoppers-uk.org.

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