CSI in the News October 2011 - CSI Today

And he will almost certainly lose it when he takes the sideline at Fort Hamilton for Homecoming againstNew Utrecht on Saturday.The Tigers are celebrating a winning streak that's reached 37 regular‐season games. The last time theylost was to New Utrecht on Sept. 28, 2007, when Williams was a junior. That double‐overtime losshappened to be the last game in which Williams played; a day later, he was shot.Returning to his former school as his team plays host to his last opponent may be enough to pushWilliams over the edge."It's going to mean a lot going back there," said Williams, who's now a sophomore at the College ofStaten Island.His ties remain strong at the school, where the 6‐5, 350‐pound Williams made quite an impression.In his senior year, he was voted Homecoming king and played bass drum in the marching band,thumping away in his wheelchair. He said he'll do a turn with the band during Saturday's game."Chris was the man at school," said Jeff Legree Jr., the quarterback on the 2007‐08 team. "When I tellyou he was the man ‐ he got all the honeys, he was popular. Chris was a great teammate. He had NFLtypepotential, but God had another plan for him."Williams was on his way home from practice on Sept. 29, 2007 when he got a call from 13‐year‐old hishalf‐sister. A group of men was harassing her near their home in Flatbush, she told him.By the time Williams reached her, the men had left, or so he thought. Williams walked the four blocksback to their apartment when he was ambushed in the lobby by one of the assailants, and shot ninetimes with a .45 caliber automatic.An arrest was made on Oct. 24, 2007, but the record was sealed by the Brooklyn District Attorney, aspokesman said, adding that he was legally barred from discussing the case."I thought I was going to die," Williams said last week. "I didn't know what was going to happen to me. Iwas really scared, laying there in the hallway. I prayed and everything just happened."He woke up at Kings County Hospital 11days later. His first question: whether or not he would ever playfootball again. "I was concerned about football before walking," he said. "Football, up to that point, wasmy life."Before the incident, Williams' former coach Vince Laino thought that Williams had a chance to go as faras he wanted. Williams was raw, he said, and a little too docile, but he had great potential. "He'd havePage 135 of 154