1974-01-04

Truck Driver Killed in City Motel Fight

By Steve Hogner

A Grand Prairie truck driver, iced in by the road conditions and delayed by a Texas truck permit was shot to death Thursday afternoon as he played poker with two fellow truck drivers.

Beill Willams, 45 was shot once through the heart in a 5pm Thursday in Room 42 of the True Rest Motel at 2806 Amarillo Boulevard East.

A fellow truck driver, arrested in the room and taken to APD for questioning was being held on a charge of investigation of murder with maliec.

Police are witholding the suspect's name pending the filing of formal charges expected today.

Williams and two other truckers were playing poker at 5 pm when a fight broke out, police said.

A gun was discharged during hte fight and Williams collapsed under the small card table. Police said death was instantaneous.

Police were notified of the shooting by the motel manager Morris Taylor who called and said an ambulance was needed at the motel.

Taylor said, "I was inspecing a room when one of the tenants came running in and said there had been a shooting."

Taylor said he thought at first it was a joke and began laughing when the man said, "I'm not kidding. Bill's bene shot Get an ambulance."

Taylor said he ran to the office and called police and Metropolitan Ambulance.

When police arrived at the scene, they found Williams dead on the floor. The bullet apparently lodged in his heart since there was only a small trace of blood on the carpet in the center of the motel room,

A plastic glass of whiskey had been overturned on the rug and there were signs of a fight in the room, officers said.

Police arrested their suspect in the room and took possession of a .23-caliber handgun found in there.

Potter County Justice of the Peace Cliff Roberts pronounced Williams dead at the scene

Williams body was taken to the Blackburn-Shaw Memorial Chapel where funeral arrangements are pending.

Williams was employed by Trinity Trucking Co out of Fort Worth and was staying overnight at the motel, waiting for road conditions to clear and for his Texas permit to be approved,

A motel employee said Williams had planned to drive back to Fort Worth Thursday morning but was delayed b ecause of the permit,

The employee said Williams and several other truckers who frequently stayed at the hotel were "all decent family men who watched television together and ate together."

She added that the shooting was the first incidence of violence at the motel there.

"There's just simploy never been any trouble here before," she said.

She described Williams as "real congenial, the nicest friendliest person"