PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A tragic incident unfolded last Friday in Belle Glade when a mother was shot and killed, with her children in the home. Investigators have arrested the woman's ex-boyfriend, who is also accused of attempting to kill her current boyfriend.
WATCH BELOW: 'She was scared. She wasn't expecting it,' neighbor tells WPTV's Kayla McDermott
Witnesses reported hearing the gunfire that night. One neighbor, who requested to remain anonymous for safety reasons, described her experience after her son alerted her to the sounds of the shooting.
“He said, 'The door still open.' So, I started walking over there,” the neighbor said.
Upon entering the home on State Road 715, she encountered Little Mack Williams, the shooting suspect, and briefly spoke with him as he was leaving.
“I asked him where she was at. He said she was dead,” she recounted.
Deputies identified the victim as Shantay Butts, the mother of Williams' children. The neighbor, upon entering the home, recalls finding six children inside who informed her of their mother's whereabouts.
“I said, 'Where your mama?' They said, 'She in there,'” she said.
Belle Glade
Belle Glade man fatally shoots mother of his kids, injures one other
Determined to keep the children safe, she kept them out of the room, then the neighbor located Butts' boyfriend, whom she initially feared was dead. Then she turned and found Butts.
"She was gone, she was gone. I can't shake that part,” she added, reflecting on the traumatic scene.
“You can't shake what part? asked WPTV's Kayla McDermott.
"Her eyes, how she looked," the neighbor said.
Hearing a gasping sound, she realized the boyfriend was still alive, she attempted to assist him.
“I can just remember 1722, 1720, because I was counting the seconds between his breaths,” she said.
Medics rushed the boyfriend to the hospital, where he is currently in stable condition.
Palm Beach County deputies stated that Williams broke into the home through a window, began fighting with the boyfriend, and then fired multiple shots. The scene revealed signs of a struggle, according to the neighbor.
“He had gashes and it's like scratches, like they had been fighting,” she said.
Court records indicate Williams has a lengthy criminal history, including a guilty plea for domestic battery by strangulation, felony battery, and drug charges.
The neighbor expressed disbelief at the violence and said Butts appeared shocked as well.
“She was scared. She wasn't expecting it. The look on her face was like she wasn't expecting it,” she said.
Deputies said Williams had a warrant for his arrest on a burglary charge just days before the shooting but was not apprehended in time.
He is now in the county jail facing a first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder charges.
