High schooler from Desert Passage family murdered in Indiana

A Desert Passage family is reeling after their 18-year-old relative — a loving brother, son and uncle — was murdered just after leaving Arizona for the first time in his life.

Isaac Williams, 18, was looking for a “fresh start” when he moved to Indianapolis in March, said his sister, 28-year-old longtime Desert Passage resident Vanessa Williams.

Isaac made the “blind journey” to Indiana amid his junior year at South Mountain High School in Phoenix. Previously, he attended Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, where he played defensive tackle on the football team.

It was early in the morning June 30 when Isaac was shot and killed on the northeast side of Indianapolis by an unknown gunman, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

“My heart is torn in pieces,” said Vanessa, adding Isaac spent a lot of his time with the family in Maricopa.

In a text message conversation today with InMaricopa , she described her brother as “a jokester, a young kid trying to find his way,” and “a young guy who was born and raised in Arizona and tragically lost his life to gun violence.”

Isaac was loved by his friends, family and coaches in metro Phoenix, where he spent his entire life aside from a brief four-month stint in the Hoosier State.

“God is really trying to turn me around,” Isaac said just before his death in an audio recording Vanessa uploaded to YouTube the day after his murder. “God is working his magic. You got to fight and keep praying.”

A fundraiser for Isaac’s funeral organized by family members in Maricopa on Wednesday had raised $5,746.

“His story is a poignant example of the gun violence that devastates families across the nation and sharing it can bring much-needed awareness to this crisis,” Vanessa said.

Loved ones and community members released balloons in Isaac’s memory in Indianapolis July 1, but his funeral will be in Arizona, the family said.

“His heart always belonged to Arizona, where he will be brought back to be laid to rest,” Vanessa said.

No one has been charged yet with Isaac’s murder, according to IMPD.

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