Trial begins for man accused of shooting, killing Alfred Hale III

DAYTON — The trial for a Dayton man accused of killing a teenager near the downtown RTA hub has started.

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Julius Williams is accused of murdering 18-year-old Dunbar High School student Alfred Hale III on April 4, 2025.

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The shooting happened at 27 S. Jefferson Street around 7:23 a.m., according to a previous News Center 7 report.

Upon arrival, they found Hale shot in the chest. He was transported to Miami Valley Hospital, where he later died.

As previously reported, the shooting has sparked numerous safety concerns about students using the RTA Hub and RTA buses for transportation to school.

It’s led to changes in state law and a high-profile lawsuit involving the Dayton Public School District and the state of Ohio.

But inside the courtroom, the focus is for jurors to determine whether Williamson is guilty of a crime.

Emotions ran high as prosecutors told the jury their version of what happened in the moments before Hale’s death.

Some of his family members rushed out of the courtroom because of the graphic details shared.

“And he is thrown to the ground in seconds, and that’s when you’ll see the defendant shoot him in the chest, and that’s when you’ll see the defendant pistol whip him across the face,” Montgomery County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Richard Smith said.

Williamson’s lawyer has a very different version of what happened.

They claimed Hale was the first to be aggressive and kept escalating a brief confrontation.

“And he tried to make peace, Alfred Hale is not having it, starts yelling more, starts reaching, he’s scared now, he doesn’t know what’s going on. He thinks his life is in danger, and so he does pull out a gun, but his intention was not to hurt Alfred Hale,” Joseph Rusch, Williamson’s lawyer, said.

The prosecutors brought some of their witnesses to the stand.

One was Hale’s grandmother, with whom he stayed the morning of the shooting.

She told the jury about the last time she spoke with her grandson.

“He said I love you, I said Love you and he headed out the door at 7 a.m.,” Maddie Coleman said.

News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.