Darrent Williams Darrent Demarcus Williams ( September 27 , 1982 – January 1 , 2007 ) was an American football player for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . Williams was also the owner and CEO of independent record label RYNO Entertainment in Fort Worth , Texas . High school . Born and raised in Fort Worth , Williams attended O . D . Wyatt High School , where he played cornerback and was also a punt returner . As a senior , he was named 7 - 4A Defensive Most Valuable Player after posting five interceptions that featured several long returns , including a best of 54 yards . As a punt returner , Williams averaged 30 yards per return with four touchdown s . Williams received little recruiting attention during high school , receiving offers only from Texas Christian University , Louisiana Tech University and Oklahoma State University . Reportedly , he was the last player signed of the 2001 class , and was only signed after an OSU coach ' s wife urged her husband to evaluate his talent further , as she was his school counselor . College . Williams played college football for Oklahoma State University . He played ten games his first year , becoming a starter during the second half of the season . In Williams ' freshman year , he returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Baylor . During the postgame press - conference , it was revealed that he had actually predicted he would do this in a statement to then head coach , Les Miles . As a sophomore , Williams started all of the team ' s thirteen games , recording 53 tackles and three interceptions , while breaking up 13 passes . During his junior year , Williams continued to start for the Cowboys . He posted 66 tackles and six interceptions ( third in the Big 12 Conference ) . He also broke up 17 passes . His junior - year performance earned him first - team All - Big 12 Conference honors . Williams ' played in only seven games in his last year at Oklahoma State . He missed the last three games because of injury and was limited before that because of an arm injury . Still , Williams totaled 21 tackles ( 18 solo ) , three pass breakups , two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery , which he returned 53 yards . Williams finished his collegiate career tied for first place all - time in Division I college football in career interception returns for touchdowns . He had 11 career interceptions and scored 9 touchdowns on returns ( 5 interception returns , 3 punt returns and 1 blocked extra point return ) . NFL . Williams was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round ( 56th overall ) in the 2005 NFL Draft . He recorded his first career interception on November 13 , 2005 versus the Oakland Raiders . The Raiders were driving to score , when quarterback Kerry Collins attempted a pass to wide receiver Jerry Porter . Williams jumped the route , intercepted the ball and took it 82 yards for the touchdown . The Broncos won the game , 31 - 17 . Williams established himself as the Broncos ' starting cornerback , recording 58 tackles and two interceptions . He also led the Broncos in punt and kick returns . His nine starts at cornerback in 2005 were the most for a Broncos rookie at that position since Louis Wright started 11 games in 1975 . An injury kept Williams out of the Broncos ' lineup for the last three games of the season . Williams was recognized as a first - team All - Rookie selection by Pro Football Weekly and the Pro Football Writers Association . Williams played in 15 games during the 2006 season , recording 86 tackles ( 77 solo ) and four interceptions ( returning one for a touchdown ) , as well as serving as the team ' s primary punt returner . His last game was a season - ending home loss to the San Francisco 49ers . In that game , played mere hours before his death , Williams had three tackles and returned two punts for 50 yards before leaving the game with a shoulder injury late in the second half . For his career , Williams had 1 sack , 2 forced fumbles , 6 interceptions and 2 touchdowns . Death . On January 1 , 2007 , Williams was shot during a drive - by shooting , at approximately 2 : 10 A . M . Williams and two other passengers were shot when another vehicle pulled beside his rented Hummer H2 limousine in downtown Denver , Colorado . The shooting occurred near 11th Ave . and Speer Blvd . It happened less than 12 hours after the Broncos played their final game of the 2006 season against the San Francisco 49ers in Denver . Williams had been attending a New Year ' s Eve party and birthday party held for and by Denver Nuggets player Kenyon Martin at the nightclub , " The Shelter . " The Denver Police Department reported that the shooting was preceded by some type of altercation or argument at the nightclub between Crips gang members and other patrons , one of whom was Broncos teammate Brandon Marshall . A police spokesman said , " There was some confrontation between a group of people in the vehicle and a group at the nightclub . " Williams was not involved in the altercation . Marshall was " one of the instigators of the fight " according to a report by ESPN . According to the county coroner ' s office , Williams sustained a single gunshot wound to the neck , killing him almost instantly . After Williams was shot , he fell in the lap of Broncos teammate , Javon Walker . He was pronounced dead around 2 : 30 a . m . The two other passengers injured in the shooting , Brandon Flowers and Nicole Reindl , were both released from the hospital the day after the shooting . Aftermath . Denver police impounded a vehicle in connection with the shooting . The suspected vehicle was registered to Brian Hicks , a 28 - year - old Crips gang member , who was already incarcerated awaiting trial for attempted murder and drug charges . Other associates of Hicks were questioned as potential material witnesses to the Williams shooting . Rumors persist that it was a gang - related event ; however , there has not been any concrete evidence to suggest that . Williams ' family and teammates also say that the scenario was highly unlikely . Williams was survived by his seven - year - old son , four - year - old daughter and 24 - year - old girlfriend , all of whom live in Fort Worth , Texas . A memorial fund was set up in their name . Denver Nuggets stars , Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin , who were with Williams at the nightclub the evening of the shooting , planned to honor their friend by possibly setting up a college fund for Williams ' children . A fan - constructed memorial was formed on the southern wall of the fountain in front of Invesco Field at Mile High . Javon Walker decided to wear his hair in a " fro - hawk , " in honor of Williams , who wore his hair in a similar way as a trademark . On May 29 , 2008 , the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center was opened at the Denver Broncos Branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver . On May 30 , 2008 , the " Rocky Mountain News " published a story claiming that it had obtained a signed confession letter by Crips gang member Willie D . Clark , in which he admitted to firing the shots that killed Williams . On October 8 , 2008 Willie Clark was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Darrent Williams . On March 11 , 2010 Clark was found guilty of murder . On April 30 , a judge sentenced him to life in prison .