Billy Wayne Williams, a 47-year-old resident of Wister, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty on April 1 to several charges related to the shooting of a Webbers Falls police officer in March 2025, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The case highlights an incident in which law enforcement responded swiftly after an officer was shot during a routine traffic stop. The plea covers four charges: assault with intent to commit murder in Indian Country, assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country, assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country, and use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. These charges carry potential sentences ranging from up to ten years for some counts and no less than ten years consecutive for others, as well as fines up to $250,000 per count.
According to investigators cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Williams shot the Webbers Falls police officer in the face before fleeing the scene on March 16. A statewide Blue Alert was issued warning that Williams was armed and dangerous. The injured officer received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at a hospital. Early on March 17, Grants Police Department officers located Williams’ vehicle using traffic cameras and apprehended him at a Walmart parking lot in Grants, New Mexico.
The crimes took place within Muskogee County on Cherokee Nation Reservation land. Multiple agencies participated in investigating the case including federal authorities as well as local law enforcement from both Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Magistrate Judge Gerald L. Jackson accepted Williams’ plea and ordered completion of a presentence investigation report. Sentencing will be determined by a U.S. District Court Judge who will consider federal guidelines along with other statutory factors.
Williams remains held by the United States Marshals Service while awaiting sentencing.
