Family Releases Name of Teen Fatally Shot by Fullerton Officer in Anaheim

As authorities continued to probe the officer-involved shooting of a 17-year-old girl on a crowded freeway in Anaheim, family members revealed her identity Monday.

Hannah Linn Williams of Anaheim was the suspect fatally shot by a Fullerton K-9 officer on Friday, according to family members.

According to a statement from the family released by Rev. Jarrett Maupin of Arizona, Williams' relatives said:

"We ask for prayers from the community as we work with Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jarrett Maupin, and the National Action Network to find answers to what appears to be another unjustified shooting of a young person of color. In the coming days, we will release the results of a secondary autopsy and the facts as they become known to us."

Police have declined to release the teen's name because she was a juvenile.

The Fullerton officer involved radioed in the shooting just after 7 p.m. Friday, according to Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt. The shooting happened on the eastbound Riverside (91) Freeway east of Kraemer Boulevard, Wyatt said.

The teen was rushed to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office will investigate the shooting. Fullerton police will conduct a separate administrative investigation.

Police said they recovered what appeared to be a handgun at the scene of the shooting, but authorities have not revealed whether it is fake or authentic.

Witness Renay Arnold said she saw Williams standing on the freeway outside of her vehicle and approaching the officer despite multiple commands by the officer to stop. "She looked angry and she was walking towards him, the officer.

"She raised both arms with a 9mm gun and he had to shoot her. He shot her. Three times. Bang bang bang." 

The Anaheim Police Department tweeted Saturday afternoon: "We cannot release details that might interfere with obtaining unbiased statements from witnesses. The freeway was packed. You can help by asking anyone who witnessed the incident to call @occrimestoppers 855-TIP-OCCS."