First degree murder charge filed in riverside shooting

Hardin County Chief Deputy Mike Fielder inspects the vehicle in which a woman drove her dying husband in search of help, stopping at a Crump restaurant.

A convicted felon and sex offender who recently moved to Hardin County is facing multiple charges including first degree murder in a Tuesday night shooting near Crump, according to just-released arrest affidavits.

Justin R. Williams, 34, originally of Kimball, Tennessee, but living in Hardin County for over three months, authorities said, has been charged with first degree murder, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, tampering with evidence and violation of the offender registration law.

According to the affidavit for first degree murder, Williams “intentionally and with premeditation shot and killed William Ray Tinker, with a high-powered rifle” on Tuesday night at about 10:47 p.m. Tinker, 32, was from Mercer, Tennessee. The affidavit is signed by Hardin County Chief Deputy Mike Fielder.

Sheriff Sammy Davidson said Tinker was shot in the chest with a .30-.30 caliber rifle in an incident near Perkins Bluff just outside of Crump, the sheriff said. Tinker’s wife, Abigail Dawn Kimery, drove him to a nearby restaurant parking lot on U.S. 64 to call for help after he was shot.

Davidson said this morning that Tinker and his wife “had a tent down by the river,” and were said to have been staying there for a “week or two.”

Information developed so far indicates Williams and his wife brought their two minor children to the spot near Perkins Bluff on Tuesday evening so the children could “play in the water,” and the two groups had some communication with each other. That communication developed later on into the evening as a dispute between Williams and Tinker, during which Williams is said to have shot Tinker, the sheriff said.

Davidson said Williams’ wife and two children were present during the dispute and shooting.

Paramedics arriving at the restaurant attempted CPR and other life-saving measures on Tinker, but were unsuccessful.

A responding deputy sheriff radioed for all local law enforcement to be on the lookout for two suspects in a maroon Pontiac, now known to be Williams and his wife, according to Davidson.

The investigation led deputies to Williams at his Borden Loop residence in Crump, where he was apprehended Wednesday morning.

According to an arrest affidavit, officers recovered the high-powered rifle used in the shooting in a shop building at the residence.

The possession of a firearm as a convicted felon charge relates to a conviction for “sexual battery and child molestation” in Trenton, Georgia. The affidavit says that offense was committed with the use or attempted use of force, violence, or a deadly weapon.

As a convicted sex offender, Williams also failed to register with the local sheriff’s department within 48 hours of moving to Hardin County as required by law, an affidavit states.