Savannah Police: Arrest made in fatal Shell Street shooting

An arrest was made Tuesday in the fatal shooting of Andre Graham at a Shell Street residence in Savannah, the city police department announced.

Andre Cortez Williams, 32, of Bolivar, Tennessee, was taken into custody in Jackson, Tennessee, by deputy U.S. Marshals after Savannah police obtained an arrest warrant on Nov. 10, according to a news release.

Williams is charged with first degree murder during the perpetration of a felony, possession of a weapon during the commission of a dangerous felony, especially aggravated armed robbery, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in connection with Graham’s death on Saturday, Nov. 6.

Responding to complaints that no information about the 2:30 a.m. incident was made available by law enforcement until more than 24 hours after the shooting, the Savannah Police Department said, “Due to the delicate nature of homicide investigations, details were delayed in being released to the public out of an abundance of caution. We understand that this frustrated some in our community. We certainly apologize and never meant to make any member of our community feel isolated or slighted.

“However, homicide investigations can sometimes progress in a manner that precludes the immediate release of information to the general public for both the integrity of the investigation and the safety of the officers tracking the suspect. As per our internal protocol, once an arrest had not been made in an immediate time-frame, information was released to media outlets via our normal channels.”

District Attorney General Matthew Stowe said, “I’m proud of the hard work of all of the various members of law enforcement who worked tirelessly to see this investigation through. My team of attorneys will be reviewing the pertinent details of this case, and will determine if this case meets the standard for seeking the death penalty in the coming weeks. Our team has a great track record of prosecuting these types of cases, and will include the family of the victim in any discussions regarding the death penalty before proceeding.”

Other law enforcement offices which assisted in the matter are the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson Police Department, and the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Department, SPD said.

No further details were immediately released Tuesday.