Delton Williams was suspended indefinitely by head coach Mark Dantonio after being charged with flaunting a firearm on campus during a traffic incident on South Shaw Lane and Red Cedar Road on March 16.
A month since his not guilty plea in East Lansing’s 54-B District Court, the man who accused the running back of pointing a gun at him has asked MSU police to drop the charges on Williams.
In a letter obtained by the Detroit Free Press, the 23-year-old did research on Williams’ past and discovered the tragedies he experienced during his upbringing in Erie, Pennsylvania., which led to speculation as to “why (Williams) would have a weapon.”
Williams, despite having a permit for the Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol, admitted to police that he raised the gun inside his car.
According to records from the 54-B District court, Williams faces a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a weapon in public.
The police report described Williams cutting off the victim at the intersection with the victim honking his horn at Williams, which prompted Williams to wave the gun but not point it at the victim.
The victim later took a picture of Williams’ license plate, which resulted in police visiting the sophomore at his apartment.
The research done by the victim pulled up a report from GoErie.com about his older brother, 24-year-old, Jaree Warren, who was shot and killed at an intersection across from a local tavern, Ray’s Last Stop, on Dec. 6 of last year. The case remains unsolved according to the publication.
“I wouldn’t want him to be thrown out of school over a silly mistake he made in a moment of fear,” the man said in the letter. “I believe he will learn his lesson and move on to better things.”
Dantonio has stayed quiet on the status of Williams as as a member of the football team going forward.
“I’m only going to talk about the guys on our depth chart,” he said.
Williams explained to the police when they questioned him about the incident that “he needed to grab the weapon as he was concerned for his safety.”
Finishing with 316 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 54 attempts last season as the third running back on the depth chart, Williams will be in competition for the starting job if his suspension is lifted by Dantonio.
Williams is in competition with multiple other running backs for the starting job, Williams and teammate Macgarrett Kings Jr. have both gotten into trouble this offseason.
