COWLEY COUNTY – The man identified as the gunman who took the life of a woman and four children at a home in Winfield on Tuesday had a long history of crime and was also registered as a sex offender. Ronald Williams, 53, was convicted on two counts of attempted indecent liberties with a child in Wyandotte County in 1998, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He also had convictions for aggravated battery, battery, violation of a protection order and theft.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Winfield Police Department continue investigating the shooting that resulted in the death of five victims and the suspect identified as Williams.
Just before 9a.m. Tuesday, officers with the Winfield Police Department were dispatched to a residence at the 400 block of West 9th Avenue, according to a media release from the KBI. The caller, later identified as Ronald Williams Sr., 53, of Winfield, told dispatch he had killed his family and intended to kill himself.
When officers arrived, they heard a single gunshot, and began establishing a perimeter. At approximately 10:57 a.m., officers entered the residence and found six subjects with gunshot wounds. EMS arrived and pronounced five victims and Williams Sr. deceased at the scene.
Police identified the victims as:
- Kelly L. George, 44
- Carol A. Williams, 9
- Ronald H. Williams Jr., 7
- Sarah K. Williams, 5
- Kelly M. Magee-Williams, 3
KBI assistance was requested at 11:05 a.m. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to the scene.
It is believed Williams Sr. killed the five family members prior to placing the 911 call, and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after law enforcement arrived.