Sayers, 46, is charged with first-degree murder and felony menacing. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by 9News, Sayers allegedly approached the victim, 28-year-old Malcolm Watson, and shot him in the head at close range.
Watson was hosting the party for his 5-year-old son when he was killed. Authorities suspect that the shooting was retaliation for the murder of Sayers’ son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., who was fatally shot in their neighborhood on August 19, 2023. Sayers Jr., 23, and the father of a two-month-old, was one of two victims in the shooting that occurred around 3:50 a.m.
The affidavit suggests that the motive for the recent shooting might be linked to the earlier killing of Sayers Jr. Witnesses have indicated that the suspect’s motive could be revenge for his son’s death, allegedly perpetrated by someone connected to the deceased.
Watson was shot multiple times and declared dead at the scene. Watson’s sister has vehemently denied any connection between her brother and Sayers Jr.’s death, expressing outrage at the suggestion that her brother was involved. “How is it a revenge killing if my brother wasn’t involved?” she told KUSA.
Watson was reportedly linked to Tyrell Braxton, who was arrested and charged with Sayers Jr.’s murder. However, the charges were later dismissed. Braxton, 24, was arrested a month after the shooting.
Following his son’s death, Sayers Sr. lamented that his son was killed in the very community he had worked to improve. “He was trying to stop the violence in our community,” Sayers Sr. previously told KMGH-TV. “He was involved in boxing matches and showing kids a different path.” He added, “This coward shot my son. The community we tried to protect and improve, the same community that killed my son.”
