Grandmother: Robbers held guns to children before killing their father

Four robbers CLEVELAND — held guns to the heads of a Cleveland man’s children Tuesday night before robbing the man and killing him in front them, his family says.

Mallik Williams, 24, was shot to death about 8:30 p.m. when robbers ambushed his family as they returned to their East 130th Street home near Buckeye Road.

Williams was with his 20-year-old wife, their 4-yearold daughter, and 1-year-old son, according to his grandmother, Queen Fatima Chui.

The family was headed into the house when the group ran up on them, forced them inside, and put guns to the children’s heads, Chui said.

Williams asked the men what they wanted, and his wife begged them to leave the children alone, Chui said.

“She was yelling like ‘Don’t kill my babies, whatever you want, just take it’,” Chui said.

The robbers took money from Williams’ pocket, but expected him to have more cash, Chui said. When they didn’t find anything else, they shot Williams twice in the head in front of his family, Chui said.

Police haven’t announced any arrests in the case, and no charges have been filed. But Chui, whose teenage son was also killed by robbers in the 1990s, warned the gunmen that they wouldn’t be able to hide from accountability in Williams’ death.

Above all, Chui said, Williams was a caring family man. He watched the children while his wife went to work, showed up to his nephew’s basketball games, took care of whatever his mother needed and visited his sick father every day.

Chui described her grandson as an entrepreneur who was preparing to go back to school to become a youth counselor. He wanted to help children who didn’t have the same positive influences in their lives as him, Chui said.

Williams was also a proud Muslim, and always had a smile on his face, Chui said. He stayed with his grandmother for three years and regularly attended programs put on by Peace in the Hood. Chui is a member of the civil rights organization’s arts and culture advisory board.

Peace in the Hood CEO Amir al-hajj Khalid Samad was close with Williams and the family. He recalled Williams’ teenage years, when his beard — a mainstay for Muslim men — was just starting to come in.

“He couldn’t wait to grow his beard,” Samad said with a smile. “When he was younger, and started having that peach fuzz up under his chin, he was ecstatic.”

Samad said that the people responsible for Williams’ death, and others like them, likely didn’t have the same well-rounded upbringing as Williams.

He said a culture shift — and a moral shift — is needed to combat the violence in Cleveland. He urged anyone who may have information about Williams’ attackers to contact Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County, or Peace in the Hood at 216-538-4043. Tipsters can remain anonymous.