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It is unclear who shot her.
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on Feb 13, 2019
An Ohio State University student and the man suspected of kidnapping her at gunpoint died Monday during a police shootout.
Skylar Williams, 20, was pronounced dead at the University of Louisville Hospital and her suspected abductor, Ty'rell Pounds, 24, also died at the scene, according to a statement released by the Kentucky State Police.
Police confirmed Pounds was the suspect who kidnapped Williams at gunpoint Monday morning and law enforcement is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
So who is Skylar Williams and how did she die? Here is what we know so far.
1. Williams was kidnapped at gunpoint.
On Monday, the 20-year-old was in an Ohio State parking lot at the university's Mansfield campus when she was approached by a man she knew around 11:45 a.m., according to a news release from the school's Department of Public Safety.
The man, later identified as Pounds, pulled out a handgun, forced her into a vehicle and drove off, reports state.
2. A chase ensued and ended in a shootout with the police.
Just before 3:30 p.m.Monday, Kentucky State Police responded to a 911 call from a distressed witness who told the dispatcher that a woman was forced into a car at gunpoint by a male at a gas station in Gallatin County, according to police. The caller said the woman appeared to be asking for help and that the vehicle, which was described as a dark-colored Dodge Caravan with a Quebec plate, fled toward Interstate 71 Southbound.
Troopers pursued the vehicle into Oldham County where it exited the interstate at Highway 329, failing to yield to police throughout the chase. The vehicle was stopped on the ramp as it tried to re-enter the interstate and troopers attempted to apprehend the driver.
While attempting to apprehend the suspect, the trooper heard a gunshot from inside the vehicle, "which he perceived as an immediate deadly threat to himself and the female passenger," according to reports. The trooper then drew his weapon and fired at Pounds, killing him.
Williams was struck too and taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. It's unclear if Williams was shot by Pounds or the trooper at this time.
3. Pounds stole his roommate's car.
Pounds' former roommate filed a police report Monday stating that Pounds had showed up at his apartment with Williams, who was crying but did not look harmed. The ex-roommate claims Pounds held a gun to him and stole his dark gray 2019 Dodge Caravan, which had an Ohio license plate, CBS reported.
4. Williams had taken a restraining order out against Pounds.
According to Fox 8, Williams had previously filed police reports against Pounds and feared him. On Jan. 3, Williams reported that Pounds pulled up behind her at a gas station. She fled inside the building and called the police, whom she told she had a restraining order against Pounds.
Then, on Jan. 18, Williams filed a report with Mansfield police claiming she had been assaulted by her ex-boyfriend, Pounds, in September.
5. Williams and Pounds had a child together.
Williams and Pounds, who were both from Mansfield, reportedly had a son together. According to the Courier-Journal, the two had a pending paternity case.
6. They had an abusive relationship.
According to one of William's former high school teachers, it was apparent that Pounds was bad news.
“She dated him in high school, and I can remember students telling her then, ‘You should not be with him,’ and if only she listened," Laurie Dean, a teacher at Madison High School in Mansfield, told News5 Cleveland.
Dean told the outlet that she hopes this tragedy will encourage other women to leave abusive relationships.
“Pay attention to warning signs, and if a guy is abusive at all, walk away," she said.
7. She was a student at Ohio State University.
Williams attended OHU's Mansfield campus, and the university is mourning her death.
"Our Ohio State community suffered a tragic loss with the death of Mansfield student Skylar Williams," OSU President Michael Drake said in a statement released Tuesday. "This senseless and shocking incident has left our campus shaken. We join Mansfield Dean Norman Jones in expressing our condolences and deepest sympathies. Our thoughts and prayers are with Skylar’s family."
Additional counseling has been made available for those at the Mansfield campus.
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.