4 sought after father ambushed, killed in robbery that ends with deadly shooting in Norristown

Montgomery County DA now offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the 4 suspects

Monday, January 22, 2024
4 sought after father ambushed, killed in robbery that ends with deadly shooting in Montco
Police in Montgomery County are searching for a group of robbers after a man was shot and killed on Saturday night.

NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Police in Montgomery County are searching for a group of robbers after a man was shot and killed in Norristown on Saturday night.

Police say 35-year-old William Wallace Carter was walking near West Wood and Powell streets around 8 p.m. when he was ambushed by three men.

35-year-old William Wallace Carter

Surveillance video shows three suspects exit a gray Toyota Rav 4, approach Carter and pin him against a wall.

There is also a fourth suspect, who remained in the driver's seat of the Toyota during the incident, according to police.

Investigators say the suspects robbed and shot Carter before taking off in their vehicle.

When police arrived, the victim was found dead at the scene.

Officers say Carter had left a friend's house nearby to grab something from his car when he was attacked.

Hours after the fatal robbery, police say were dispatched to Willow and Robert streets at approximately 3 a.m., where they found the same gray Toyota Rav 4 involved in the shooting engulfed in flames.

Authorities later determined the car had been stolen out of Cheltenham back in December.

Carter's family is now pleading for the people responsible to come forward.

Loved ones have been leaving candles and balloons at the site of the attack in his memory.

Some family members told Action News that a very important person had just been taken away from them.

"He didn't deserve this, so whoever did it, they're gonna catch you. Just turn yourself in," said April Smith, the victim's cousin.

The family also said they were with Carter the night he died, which makes it all the more shocking.

"Just left us, not even thirty minutes later this is what happens. Just shocking," said Terrance Solomon, another family member. "Seems like all the good guys are gone."

Carter leaves behind a daughter and his 17-year-old son.

"[Carter] was a good-hearted person, he had a daughter under 2 years old," Smith said.

"I want him to be remembered as a family man who went to work every morning, who took care of his kids. That's what he did," Solomon added.

Unfortunately, his death is not the first in this family.

"The eighth death in our family," said Smith. "We just buried his brother December 2 and his sister a couple weeks ago. He actually had on his sister's RIP shirt when he got murdered."

"This violence gotta stop, the guns gotta stop, what's going on out here the kids got these guns," said Solomon. "Something got to stop."

Authorities are offering a $5,000 reward for information on the suspects that could lead to an arrest.

Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.