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LOS ANGELES () — Nearly nine years after 27-year-old aspiring rapper Antonio Wilson was fatally shot while picking up dinner in South Los Angeles, his family and detectives say they are still searching for the person responsible for his killing. It’s a case that’s gone cold despite years of outreach and investigation.
Wilson had walked with a neighbor to a shopping center at Vermont Avenue and 43rd Street on Nov. 17, 2017, and decided to grab something to eat. As he stood outside, a white car — likely a BMW, according to Los Angeles police — pulled up and someone opened fire. Multiple bullets struck Wilson, and he collapsed at the scene.
His mother, Nicole Williams, says the grief has not eased.
“Every holiday, every occasion is at the cemetery. And it doesn’t seem like it was nine years ago,” she said. “Every memory we have for Tony stopped in 2017. We’ll never get another memory.”
The shopping center where Wilson was shot is now an active construction site, but investigators say the area was crowded the night he was killed. Williams said her son had simply gone out to get dinner.
“He was just coming over here to get some dinner and was going back home, and he never made it home,” she said.
LAPD Homicide Detective Nellie Knight believes Wilson was not the intended target.
“I think, for sure, it was a case of mistaken identity,” she said. Security cameras did not capture the license plate of the white car, and Knight says identifying who was inside could finally break the case.
Knight said she opens Wilson’s case file every day. When asked whether she thinks about the case daily, she said, “I do. I think it’s the relationship that I’ve been able to build with Nicole.”
For nine years, Williams has passed out flyers, attended rallies and supported other families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Wilson’s son, Kordai Wilson, is now a community advocate as well.
“We can make Los Angeles, make the future, a better and safer space for everybody,” he said at a recent community event.
The family says they will continue pushing for justice.
“We will not stop until justice is served. This is not revenge, this is accountability,” Williams said.
Police say the shopping center was busy the night Wilson was killed, and hope anyone with information will now feel comfortable coming forward. A reward of up to $50,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.
Tipsters can call the 24-hour LAPD anonymous tip line at 1-877-LAPD 24-7 (1-877-527-3247).
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