Venus and Serena's sister Killed (from our news thread) suspect arrested!

[SkeeBunny]

Did anyone watch Dateline last night? I swear, this show seemed like it could have been taped in the 60's, before the civil rights movement. The entire segment was based on the impact that Venus' and Serena's accomplishments will have on the black community. It was totally absurd . They interviewed a former African-American female tennis player (I forgot her name) and it seemed as if they were badgering her to say something bad about the Williams sisters, but of course she didn't. Ted Koppel kept referring to their playing style as "in your face tennis" and insinuated that that type of play had no place in the whitewashed world of tennis. Then he went on to voice his bewilderment as to how the sisters turned out to be so "articulate" considering where they were raised and how their parents talk. I was amazed the whole time I was watching. I just can't believe that in the year 2000, white folks are still in awe that we are dynamic, intelligent, talented people that don't need to assimilate or wear a mask in order to be accepted by them.

I say, "Go 'head Venus and Serena. Keep doing us proud!"

[AKAtude]

It amazes me as well that people still think the way they do, especially those who you think should know better. Then again, maybe they are letting their true colors show.

[AKAtude]

SERENA BEATS VENUS: Compton-bred sisters ranked No. 1 and No. 2.


Serena and Venus Williams
(Jun. 10, 2002) *The Williams sisters are dominating women's tennis. Serena and Venus have won six of the past 11 major tennis events.
The latest event was last Saturday's French Open final, which Serena won 7-5, 6-3, over her older sibling Venus.

"Hopefully we can build a rivalry and we'll be able to do this a lot," said Serena. "Make a legacy, then retire champions."

In the new rankings that are out today, Venus is No. 1 and Serena is No. 2.

They are the first siblings to sit 1-2. Their top rankings mean they may face each other again, including during the upcoming Wimbledon tournament.

[Exquisite5]

HC this morning I was watching the today show and Matt Lauer was interviewing John McEnroe about his new book, "Are you kidding me?"
HC this old man had the nerve to say he could easily beat either of the Williams sisters if they'd just meet him on the court?
HC the fool went on to say so could any male player on the tour?
HC this is just too much to believe!

McEnroe has a 16 yr old kid, can he worry about just raising the child right, puh-leaze!
Or, how about he just worry about why his ex-wife called his entire book bull ish and said he is the cruelest person she ever met!

How about he worry about anything else besides HATING on the numbers one and two seeds in the world!!!
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
....and honestly, I would just LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to see either of those matches!

[nikki25]

I was delighted to see this on Saturday morning. I was in my hair salon watching it. I was ecstatic to see Serena win! Either way, I would have been pleased. I think that it isn't easy for a big sister to play her lil' sis. Big sisters out there...you know that it isn't easy being competitive with your lil' sis.

I loved that they were both speaking French at the end. I was like...ya'll go 'head and show the French watcha working with!

But really, I love what these two young women are bringing to the sport....as the sports announcers said...they look like the Queen of Sheba...and they aren't far from it! They are rising to a place of tennis royalty.

[TempleAlum1993]

Don't forget to watch the rematch Saturday 9AM EST.

Congratulations to Serena.....today's win places her #1 in the rankings.

[FeeFee]

Originally posted by nikki25
I was delighted to see this on Saturday morning. I was in my hair salon watching it. I was ecstatic to see Serena win! Either way, I would have been pleased. I think that it isn't easy for a big sister to play her lil' sis. Big sisters out there...you know that it isn't easy being competitive with your lil' sis.

I loved that they were both speaking French at the end. I was like...ya'll go 'head and show the French watcha working with!

But really, I love what these two young women are bringing to the sport....as the sports announcers said...they look like the Queen of Sheba...and they aren't far from it! They are rising to a place of tennis royalty.

HC people just can't comprehend the greatness that is VENUS AND SERENA????????

[vanda]

I feel he has had it for the Williams sisters since the very beginning. He never has anything nice to say about them at all. But Martina Navritilova and Chris Evert usually check him and keep him in his place. It's a shame that the best out there always get booed. What I don't understand is how could a stalker of Serena be set free just hours after being caught at the entrance to Wimbeldon? His ass should have been kept in jail until the Williams ladies was safely on a plane home after taking England by storm.....again!

[AKA2D '91]

COMPTON, Calif. (Sept. 14) - An older sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams was shot to death Sunday following a dispute in suburban Los Angeles, authorities said.

Yetunde Price, 31, was with a man in a sport utility vehicle shortly after midnight and ''somehow they had become involved in a confrontation with the local residents,'' said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Pena.

Sheriff's deputies searching for three people believed to be involved in the shooting surrounded a house in Compton at about 6 a.m., but it turned out to be empty.

No arrests had been made by midday.

Venus and Serena's agent, Carlos Fleming, said the family was en route to California. Serena has been in Toronto to film a guest role in the Showtime drama series ''Street Time.''

''This is sad and very tragic news,'' WTA Tour chief executive Larry Scott said in a statement. ''The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the WTA Tour are with the entire Williams family at this difficult time.''

Price was shot in the upper torso. Deputies on patrol heard the gunshots and found Price, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The man who had been with her in the SUV wasn't injured and was being interviewed by authorities, Pena said.

Neighbor Robert Miller, 49, said he heard about a dozen gunshots.

Price was one of five Williams sisters who spent their early years in Compton, a crime-and poverty-ridden community where gang fighting has claimed many lives. Serena began playing tennis at age 5 1/2 on the neighborhood courts in Compton, coached by her father Richard.

The family later moved to Florida, where Venus and Serena live in Palm Beach Gardens. Richard and their mother Oracene are divorced, and Price used her mother's maiden name.

Price lived in Corona and worked as a personal assistant to her famous sisters. She was identified as a registered nurse and a business management major in the 2003 media guide for the WTA Tour.

Serena, 21, and Venus, 23, both missed the U.S. Open earlier this month because of injuries. Neither has said when they will play next, although the season-ending WTA Tour championships in Los Angeles in November is a possibility.

Serena, ranked No. 3 in the world, and sixth-ranked Venus have combined to win nine of the past 14 Grand Slam titles. They met in the final at five of the last six Slams, not including this year's U.S. Open. Serena won each of those times, and one or the other won every U.S. Open since 1999 until this year.

The other Williams sisters are Lyndrea, an actress and singer; and Isha, a lawyer and singer.

AP-NY-09-14-03 1758EDT

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

[FeeFee]

I heard the news about Yetunde's death this morning and it left me both and . I still remember when the whole family was on the Oprah Winfrey show.

My prayers goes out to the Price/Williams family.

[delph998]

Wow! That's really sad. I'll be praying for that family.

[AKA2D '91]

Man Arrested in Williams' Sister's Death
47 minutes ago

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ and STEVE WILSTEIN, Associated Press Writers

COMPTON, Calif. - A 24-year-old man was arrested for investigation of murder in the shooting of the older sister of Venus and Serena Williams (news - web sites), authorities said Monday. Sheriff's deputies were searching for two other possible suspects.





Yetunde Price, 31, was shot in the chest early Sunday about a mile from the tennis courts where her sisters first rose to prominence in this Los Angeles suburb that has long been notorious for gang activity and violence.


Price had been sitting with a man in a sport utility vehicle when "somehow they had become involved in a confrontation with the local residents," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Pena.


"That dispute led to gunfire, and the woman was shot in the upper torso," Deputy Scott Butler said Monday.


The suspect was identified as Aaron Michael Hammer of Compton. He was booked for investigation of murder late Sunday and jailed without bond, said sheriff's Deputy Bill Spear. Two other possible suspects were being sought, Butler said.


The Williams sisters issued a statement shortly after the shooting saying their family was overwhelmed with grief.


"She was our nucleus and our rock. She was personal assistant, confidante, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled," the family statement said. "This is the saddest day of our lives."


Venus flew from New York to Los Angeles and Serena traveled from Toronto to be with relatives. Price, a registered nurse who owned a beauty salon, was a personal assistant to her half-sisters.


Authorities said it wasn't known whether Price knew her assailant or what prompted the dispute. They said Hammer was arrested after deputies interviewed a half-dozen people, including Hammer, at a home on the street where Price was shot.


The man with Price, identified by authorities as Rolland Wormley, 28, was not hurt and drove her to a relative's house in Long Beach, where he called 911, Pena said. Price was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and died there.


Wormley was jailed after authorities discovered he was on parole, which they said he violated by being at the scene of the shooting. It wasn't disclosed what he was on parole for.


The tree-shaded street where Price was shot is lined with homes with barred windows, and neighbors said the sound of gunshots is common. The night Price was shot, neighbors reported hearing six to 20 gunshots. An assault rifle was found nearby.


Rodolfo Pulido, 35, who lives around the corner, was awakened by the shots but did not go outside. "Week after week, I hear gunfire," he said.


Price was one of five sisters who spent their early years in Compton.


She was divorced and had three children, Jair, 5; Justus, 9; and Jeffrey, 11. She had moved to Corona, 40 miles away, and took her mother's maiden name a few years ago after her parents divorced. She recently opened a hair salon in nearby Lakewood with a high school friend.


"I can't believe it. There's not one evil thing you could say about this girl. She never hurt any person. She was a quiet person," said a friend, Sheriee Brown, 32, of Compton.


The five sisters were extremely close. Yetunde; Isha, a lawyer and singer; and Lyndrea, an actress and singer could often be seen in stadium guest boxes and hotels with Venus and Serena.





When Venus and Serena Williams were children, Price was a caring, gentle role model. As recently as Wimbledon (news - web sites) this summer, Price helped with her sisters' personal business matters, cheering them on, the big sister who stayed on the side and never showed any jealousy of their success.

Venus, eight years younger than Price, and Serena, a little more than nine years younger, often spoke about the gunshots they heard as they played tennis on public courts in Compton. When they turned professional as teenagers, they moved with their parents to Florida, in part for the courts and the coaching and in part to escape the violence.

Yet nothing — not stardom nor distance nor the demands of travel — weakened the bonds they felt toward their sisters. At Wimbledon in July, when Venus was injured during her semifinal and considered quitting, her mother and sisters encouraged her to play.

The poise Venus and Serena showed so young could be attributed as much to the influence of their older sisters as to the independence and religious devotion that their parents encouraged.

All five sisters are the daughters of Oracene Williams, who was previously married to the late Yusef A.K. Rasheed. She later married Richard Williams, father of Venus, 23, and Serena, who will be 22 next week.

"They don't regard themselves as half-sisters, they regard themselves as sisters," said Raymone Bain, a publicist for Serena. "The five girls are each others' best friends."

___

Steve Wilstein, a national sports columnist for The Associated Press who has covered tennis for more than 30 years, reported from Seattle.

[Lady2000]

The Williams family will be in my prayers as well. I hope they catch all the suspects soon.

[MsFoxyLoxy77]

I have alot of respect for the Williams family. They came from nothing to accomplishing great things. I will always have respect for them they were the first...never undervalue the first...

[AKA2D '91]

Trial Update:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...sters_shooting