A Cincinnati man has been arrested and charged with the murder of Tekeya McCollum, a mother of five, who was fatally shot outside a senior living complex in Walnut Hills in December, as reported by FOX19 NOW. The suspect, 47-year-old Willie Gordon, is currently detained in the Hamilton County Justice Center facing charges that include murder, tampering with evidence, and possession of weapons under disability.
McCollum, 31, was found with a gunshot wound in a stairwell of the Park Eden building on December 23 and pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts by EMTs to save her life, and Gordon's arrest came after over two months of investigation by Cincinnati Police, EMTs tried to save her life, but she died at the scene, according to a press release from Sgt. Anthony Mitchell obtained by FOX19 NOW.
Detailed court records revealed that prior to McCollum's death, Gordon had a substantial arrest record and had admitted to threatening violence against law enforcement, according to WLWT. The records also indicate that Gordon was not legally permitted to possess the firearm used in the shooting due to previous drug convictions in 2019. However, the events leading to the fatal incident have not been disclosed at this time.
Tekeya McCollum's brother, DeRonn McCollum, expressed a complex mixture of grief and relief upon Gordon's arrest saying, "It's great to know that a killer is off the street, so, you know what I mean, somebody that's going to commit a senseless murder, something just as stupid as this, to a young mother, he doesn't deserve to be out here," he told Local 12 News. The McCollum family has been left to grapple with the loss of Tekeya, described as a generous person who would "give you her last," as expressed through DeRonn's words, words echoing the heartbreak of a life senselessly cut short, with children left without their mother.
