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Minneapolis Man Shot Dead Steps Outside Mother's Front Door

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minneapolis police are hunting for a killer who gunned down a community activist just outside his mother's front door.

Someone killed 33-year-old Tyrone Williams in north Minneapolis Tuesday night. WCCO's Reg Chapman spoke with his family about the good that could come from this tragedy.

"He helped a lot of people as much as he could," Rosemary Williams, Tyrone's mother, said.

Rosemary Williams says she knew her son Tyrone Rashad Williams was a people person, but she never knew the impact he had on so many until now.

"He was up at the reservation with the natives, fighting over the oil. I heard from their community, it's just a blessing, the outpouring. I didn't know he impacted so many people," Rosemary said.

Tyrone Williams was a socially conscious advocate for civil and human rights. He was active in calls for justice in the police killings of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile.

He was a father of four who left his mother's home around 6 p.m. Tuesday, only to be gunned down feet away from her front door.

"He use to give me big hugs every time he walked in the door," said Talib Williams, Tyrone's son.

Tyrone's family wanted us to hear from two of his children. Talib, 10, and 9-year-old Ade, say their dad loved to be with them and taught them to love and protect community.

"He did a lot of good stuff. He was brave, he was a hero," Ade Williams said.

"Make him be proud of me what I'm doing, helping people. That's stuff that he wants me to do," Talib said.

"In his last speech he said, 'It's time for action. It's time for us to get some action. We need to start healing our families and start loving one another again,'" friend Chantyl Allen said.

His friends say his death is not in vain. It has sparked a renewed spirit to fix what is broken in north Minneapolis.

"We need to embrace each other, we have to embrace these children, these young men that don't have love and don't know how to love, so they hurt themselves and others," Rosemary Williams said.

This mom wants justice for her son, but not at the cost of lost lives. She wants justice that comes with love and support from community.

"We are not going to allow them to destroy themselves or each other. It's going to stop," Rosemary said.

Tyrone Williams had a clothing line called Black Coalition. Friends say they will keep it going until his children are old enough to take over.

Police are looking for a car seen speeding away after Williams was shot. If you have any information about this shooting, please call Minneapolis police.

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