Yetunde Price, the 31-year-old half-sister of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, died in a drive-by shooting in Compton, California, on September 14, 2003. The eldest daughter of Oracene Price and Yusef Rasheed worked as a registered nurse and part-time assistant to her famous siblings while raising three children. Her killing occurred when a Crips gang member opened fire on her vehicle, mistaking it for a rival gang member’s car.
- Who Was Yetunde Price, Serena Williams’ Sister?
- What Caused Yetunde Price’s Death?
- How Old Was Yetunde Price When She Died?
- Did Yetunde Price Have Children?
- Timeline of Yetunde Price’s Death and Investigation
- What Facts Are Certain About the Case?
- How Did Yetunde Price’s Death Affect the Williams Family?
- Primary Sources and Family Statements
- Summary of the Yetunde Price Case
- Frequently Asked Questions
The murder shocked the sports world and devastated a family that had risen from Compton’s public courts to international stardom. Price represented the family’s foundation, having helped care for her younger half-sisters during their childhood. Her death exposed the persistent gang violence that continued to plague the neighborhood even as the Williams sisters brought global attention to their hometown.
More than two decades later, the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the conviction of Robert Edward Maxfield, and the family’s ongoing efforts to combat violence remain subjects of public interest. This account examines court records, police filings, and family statements to reconstruct the tragedy.
Who Was Yetunde Price, Serena Williams’ Sister?
Born on August 9, 1972, in Saginaw, Michigan, Yetunde Hawanya Tara Price entered the world as the eldest daughter of Oracene Price and Yusef Rasheed. She had two younger sisters from her parents’ union before her mother married Richard Williams, who would become the father of Venus and Serena. The family relocated to Compton, California, by the mid-1980s, settling in the same community where the younger Williams sisters would later train on public tennis courts.
Oldest half-sister to Venus and Serena Williams
September 14, 2003
Compton, California
Robert Edward Maxfield (released 2018)
By the time of her death, Price had established herself as a registered nurse and business owner, balancing her professional responsibilities with part-time work as a personal assistant to Venus and Serena. Friends and family described her as the family’s anchor, the sibling who maintained close ties to their Compton roots while supporting her sisters’ increasingly demanding careers. She was also the mother of three young children, raising them as a single parent.
- Price was born in Saginaw, Michigan, before the family moved to Compton during her childhood.
- She served as a part-time personal assistant to Venus and Serena Williams while maintaining her nursing career.
- At the time of her death, she was raising three children as a single mother.
- She met her boyfriend, Rolland Wormley, at his birthday party on April 30, 2003, just months before her death.
- The shooting occurred near a reputed Southside Crips drug house on East Greenleaf Boulevard.
- Shooter Robert Edward Maxfield received a 15-year sentence after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter in 2006.
- The Williams sisters opened the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton in 2016 to support violence victims.
| Full Name | Yetunde Hawanya Tara Price |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | August 9, 1972 |
| Birthplace | Saginaw, Michigan |
| Parents | Oracene Price and Yusef Rasheed |
| Age at Death | 31 years old |
| Occupation | Registered nurse, business owner, personal assistant |
| Children | Three |
| Date of Death | September 14, 2003 |
| Location of Death | East Greenleaf Boulevard, Compton, California |
| Burial Site | Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills |
What Caused Yetunde Price’s Death?
On the night of September 14, 2003, Price had picked up her boyfriend Rolland Wormley after midnight from a picnic in Compton. Wormley drove her white GMC Yukon Denali as they traveled along East Greenleaf Boulevard, a residential street that passed near a reputed Southside Crips drug house. Without warning, multiple shots from an AK-47 assault rifle shattered the vehicle’s windows, striking Price in the head.
The Attack and Immediate Aftermath
The shooting occurred in a matter of seconds. Neighbors reported hearing between 6 and 20 gunshots, and an assault rifle was later recovered at the scene. Wormley, uninjured, drove away from the location and fled to his mother’s house to call 911, leaving Price in the vehicle. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Investigators determined that Robert Edward Maxfield, a 25-year-old member of the Southside Crips, fired upon the vehicle believing it belonged to a rival gang member. Yetunde Price had no known gang affiliations and was not the intended target of the attack.
Initial Investigation
Police initially detained Wormley for one week on suspicion of domestic violence, but released him due to lack of evidence connecting him to the shooting. Investigators soon turned their attention to gang activity in the area, focusing on the Southside Crips faction that operated near the shooting location. Witnesses reported seeing an altercation between Price, Wormley, and gang members outside the drug house shortly before the shots were fired, though the exact nature of this interaction remains unclear.
How Old Was Yetunde Price When She Died?
Price was 31 years old at the time of her death. Born on August 9, 1972, she had recently celebrated her birthday weeks before the September shooting. Her age placed her eleven years senior to Venus and twelve years older than Serena, making her the eldest of the siblings who grew up together in Compton.
Time Between Birth and Tragedy
The three decades of her life spanned the family’s transition from middle-class Michigan to the competitive tennis circuits of California. By 31, she had established her nursing career, launched a business, and given birth to three children. Her age at death left her children without a mother during their formative years and deprived the Williams family of their eldest sister just as Venus and Serena reached the height of their professional powers.
Yetunde Price was born August 9, 1972, in Saginaw, Michigan. She died September 14, 2003, in Compton, California, at age 31.
Did Yetunde Price Have Children?
Yes. At the time of her murder, Price was a single mother raising three children. While specific details about the children’s names and current ages remain private to protect their identities, family statements and news reports confirm she was actively involved in their upbringing while managing her professional responsibilities.
Balancing Motherhood and Career
Price’s dual roles as a healthcare professional and mother defined her adult life. She maintained her nursing credentials while operating a business, all while serving as the primary caregiver for her three children. This balancing act reflected the same determination that characterized the Williams family’s rise from Compton, though Price chose to remain largely outside the public spotlight that followed her younger sisters.
Following Price’s death, Venus and Serena Williams assumed significant roles in supporting their sister’s three children, ensuring they remained connected to the extended family despite the loss.
Timeline of Yetunde Price’s Death and Investigation
- : Yetunde Hawanya Tara Price born in Saginaw, Michigan to Oracene Price and Yusef Rasheed.
- : Family relocates to Compton, California.
- : Price meets Rolland Wormley at his birthday party.
- : Shot and killed in drive-by shooting on East Greenleaf Boulevard while riding in her white GMC Yukon Denali.
- : Police detain Wormley for one week before releasing him; investigation turns toward gang involvement.
- : Robert Edward Maxfield identified as the shooter; Aaron Michael Hammer (24) arrested and charged with murder; Michael Williams (38) held on parole violation.
- : Maxfield pleads no contest to voluntary manslaughter; sentenced to 15 years in state prison.
- : Venus and Serena Williams open the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton to aid violence victims.
- : Maxfield released from prison after serving approximately 12 years.
What Facts Are Certain About the Case?
| Established Information | Information That Remains Unclear |
|---|---|
| Drive-by shooting occurred September 14, 2003, involving an AK-47 | Whether Price or Wormley verbally interacted with gang members before the shooting |
| Robert Edward Maxfield, a Southside Crips member, fired the fatal shots | The exact number of shots fired (witness reports vary between 6 and 20) |
| Price was not a gang member and was killed by mistaken identity | Specific details regarding additional convictions of other Crips members investigated |
| Rolland Wormley was never charged in connection with the murder | Current whereabouts and identities of Price’s three children (protected for privacy) |
| Maxfield was sentenced to 15 years and released in 2018 | The precise nature of the alleged altercation reported by witnesses outside the drug house |
How Did Yetunde Price’s Death Affect the Williams Family?
The murder reverberated through the Williams family with profound and lasting effects. Venus Williams and Serena had lost their half-sister, but also the woman who had helped raise them. Serena later described their bond in stark terms, noting that Yetunde had changed her diapers and represented their closest connection to their shared childhood in Compton.
The tragedy prompted the sisters to channel their grief into community action. In 2016, they established the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton, providing support services for families affected by violence and trauma. The center stands as a permanent memorial to a woman who had dedicated her professional life to caring for others as a nurse.
Price was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, a final resting place that contrasts with the Compton streets where she spent her final moments. Her death remains a defining tragedy in the narrative of a family that otherwise epitomized athletic triumph over adversity.
Primary Sources and Family Statements
“Yetunde and I were so close; she changed my diapers.”
This statement, referenced in documentary footage and news archives, captures the sibling dynamic that defined their relationship. While Serena Williams has spoken publicly about the loss on multiple occasions, Venus has generally maintained private grief, though both sisters participated in the 2016 resource center opening.
Police reports from the Compton Sheriff’s Station and Los Angeles County Superior Court records provide the factual foundation for the case timeline. News archives from the Los Angeles Times and CBS News documented the investigation as it unfolded, while corrections records tracked Maxfield’s incarceration and eventual release.
Summary of the Yetunde Price Case
Yetunde Price died at age 31 on September 14, 2003, when Crips gang member Robert Edward Maxfield mistakenly targeted her vehicle in a drive-by shooting in Compton. The eldest half-sister of Venus and Serena Williams was a nurse, business owner, and mother of three who had helped care for her famous siblings during their childhood. Maxfield pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in 2006, served approximately 12 years, and was released in 2018. The Williams sisters honored her memory by opening the Yetunde Price Resource Center in 2016, converting personal tragedy into community support for violence victims in their former neighborhood.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who killed Yetunde Price?
Robert Edward Maxfield, a 25-year-old member of the Southside Crips gang, fired the fatal shots from an AK-47, mistaking her vehicle for a rival gang member’s car. He pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in 2006.
Was Yetunde Price a Crips gang member?
No. Investigators confirmed she had no gang affiliations. She was an innocent victim of mistaken identity, caught in crossfire intended for a rival gang member’s vehicle.
What happened to Robert Edward Maxfield?
Maxfield was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter. He was released in 2018 after serving approximately 12 years and later apologized to Rolland Wormley.
Where did the shooting of Yetunde Price happen?
The shooting occurred on East Greenleaf Boulevard in Compton, California, near a reputed Southside Crips drug house, as Price rode in a white GMC Yukon Denali driven by her boyfriend.
Was Rolland Wormley charged in connection with the murder?
No. Police initially detained Wormley for one week on suspicion of domestic violence but released him due to lack of evidence. He was never charged in connection with the shooting.
Where is Yetunde Price buried?
She is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, California.
