Sister of shooting victim tries to cope with shock

By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Korey R. James promised his sister Saturday night that he'd be right back.
He gave the promise at 11:45 p.m. and left on foot from his sister's East Avondale Avenue home.
He never returned.
Around 5 a.m. Sunday, Crystal Williams felt sick to her stomach. She knew something was wrong: Her baby brother wasn't home.
"My mom called at 9. She said the police found a body with my brother's identification," Williams, 28, said Tuesday, holding back tears. "I went to their house, and my father told me it was true."
James, shot in the back of the head, was found dead in the Fabrizio Funeral Home driveway on East Indianola Avenue just before 8 a.m. Sunday. The funeral home is a few blocks from Williams' South Side home.
Detective Sgt. Rick Alli, police department spokesman, has said the 22-year-old victim was killed elsewhere and then dumped in the driveway.
"I told him I didn't want him out walking that late with the crime rate so bad," Williams said. "It's still a shock to everyone who knew and loved Korey. He never had chance to be a father. He was mentor to my kids."
No signs of struggle
She said the coroner told the family that there were no signs of a struggle, indicating that the shooter was likely not a stranger.
Williams said her brother stayed with her the past four years and watched her three little boys while she worked at a care facility. She said their mother has been sick, and he also helped their dad look after her when he could.
"I don't know, it's just hard for us all to suck this in. He was quiet and was mostly always here even if I wasn't working," Williams said. "He was never into running the streets -- that's why it's so unbelievable, the peak of his life. They didn't give him a chance."
Williams said their parents, Alexis and Curtis James, were making funeral arrangements for Friday or Saturday. She will buy her brother burial clothes when she gets paid this week.
"He was the baby -- there's four of us. I'm the oldest and he has two other sisters," Williams said. "He was part of a close-knit family. I still walk in the house and expect to see him."
Her house key
Williams said whoever killed her brother knew him, and it wasn't a robbery. Nothing was taken from him but her house key.
She reported to police late Monday that someone had entered her home using the stolen key.
"The people who got the key came in my house," Williams said. "They didn't take anything -- they just wanted to send me a message."
Williams said that since Sunday she has done a lot of "footwork" to help Detective Sgts. Daryl Martin and Ron Rodway in their investigation. She has provided names and vehicle descriptions that may be useful.
Williams recalled her brother's telling her that a woman came to the house Friday night looking for one of his friends, who wasn't there.
"She disrespected my little brother."
meade@vindy.com