Police say a decade of leads ran cold until a recent tip identified a suspect in the ambush of 31-year-old Annex Jean.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Detectives have arrested a man in the 2015 shooting death of Annex Jean, who was gunned down while walking through a North Miami Beach parking lot on Oct. 1, 2015. Police said the break came from a community tip that pointed investigators to a longtime suspect now facing murder and firearm charges.
Authorities said the arrest revives a case that has weighed on Jean’s family and lingered in the department’s cold-case files for years. The suspect, identified by police as Damian Williams, was taken into custody on Saturday and is awaiting transfer to Miami-Dade County. Investigators described the arrest as the result of sustained cold-case work and a credible tip received more than a year ago. Officials did not disclose the source of the information, citing an active prosecution, but said the tip allowed detectives to corroborate details and seek an arrest warrant.
Jean, 31, was ambushed and shot multiple times shortly before midnight on Oct. 1, 2015, in a parking area off Northeast 167th Street, police said. He died at the scene. For years, detectives canvassed the neighborhood, reviewed surveillance from nearby businesses and re-interviewed witnesses, but no arrest followed. The case moved to the department’s cold-case unit, where investigators continued to collect statements and revisit forensic work. “Monday we finally received justice for my brother,” a statement from Jean’s sister said, as read by Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office investigator Jodi Schuster during a police briefing. “He was loved, needed and he is missed every single day.”
Officials said Williams, 33, faces a count of second-degree murder and charges related to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Jail records show he was booked in Broward County and is expected to be transferred to Miami-Dade. Detectives said Williams was known to law enforcement and linked to a street group active in the area at the time. Investigators declined to discuss the tipster’s identity or methods, but said the information aligned with earlier witness accounts and case files from 2015. Police stressed that no additional suspects have been publicly named and that investigators are still evaluating whether anyone else helped plan or carry out the shooting.
The killing occurred during a period when North Miami Beach detectives were managing several major investigations, including other cold cases that have seen renewed attention. In recent years, local agencies have reopened older files using updated forensic tools and fresh witness outreach. In Jean’s case, detectives said traditional legwork — repeated canvassing and file reviews — paired with community input rather than a single piece of new technology. The department’s decision to centralize unresolved homicides under a cold-case unit allowed the file to remain active, officials said, making it easier to act quickly when the tip surfaced.
Police said Williams appeared before a judge in Broward County this week and will be moved to Miami-Dade for further proceedings. Once transferred, he is expected to be booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center ahead of a formal arraignment. Prosecutors will review the case and determine whether to file additional counts. Detectives said they will continue to seek witnesses who may recall seeing vehicles or people running from the parking lot the night Jean was killed. A separate case status hearing could be scheduled within the next month, depending on court calendars and the timing of the transfer.
Neighbors who have lived near the scene for years described a steady stream of patrols and periodic detective visits as the case remained open. Several said they remember the late-night commotion a decade ago and the taped-off lot the next morning. “It stayed with people around here,” said Rony Pierre, who has worked nearby since 2015. “You always wondered if someone would be held responsible.” Jean’s relatives did not attend the briefing, police said, but asked investigators to share their message of thanks and relief.
As of Friday, the suspect remained in custody pending transfer, and detectives said the investigation continues with new interviews and file reviews. Authorities said they expect to release additional records after Williams appears in a Miami-Dade courtroom.
Author note: Last updated November 21, 2025.