Cold Case: Renton police catch Oshea Williams six years after Jimm Route’s murder
May 28, 2026, 5:00 AM | Updated: 3:00 pm
Left: A manhunt underway for Oshea Williams. Right: Mugshot of Oshea Williams. (Photos courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photos courtesy of KIRO 7)
A murder suspect, on the lam for six years, is behind bars. His name is Oshea Williams, a 26-year-old accused of fatally shooting 21-year-old Jimm Route in 2020.
He was arrested last week and is the focus of this week’s Cold Case Project.
The shooting happened on March 10, 2020, near the corner of Rainier Avenue S. and S.W. Victoria Street.
“This was actually in broad daylight, March 10, 2020,” Crimestoppers of Puget Sound Executive Director Jim Fuda said. “Victim was sitting in his car. Suspect gets out of the car, walks up, fires a bunch of rounds at the car, and kills the victim dead. There were cameras and witnesses in the parking lot.”
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Fuda said, despite the evidence, Oshea Williams disappeared for more than six years. Investigators are still trying to determine whether he was in Seattle the whole time or left town and returned at some point later.
Meeghan Black, the communications and community engagement manager for the Renton Police Department, said none of that mattered to detectives who refused to let the case go.
“One of our detectives, who was instrumental in the initial investigation, kind of started looking into this again recently, and he developed some information that Oshea Williams was in the area in Renton,” Black said. “They devised a plan to go to the area where they knew that he was staying, and he happened to pop out of an apartment, and they approached him. Williams attempted to flee officers, but they were able to quickly capture him and get him under arrest.”
King County prosecutors charged Williams with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 21-year-old Jimm Route.
“We’re just really happy to finally get this person into custody and be able to deliver that news to the family who’s been waiting for six years to bring someone to justice, and now we get to begin that process,” Black said.
In a lot of these cases, Crimestoppers of Puget Sound offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest and charges.
The thing is that most tipsters never claim the money.
“The good thing is that citizens are realizing that it takes a village to solve these crimes and get these bad people off the street,” Fuda said. “It’s heartwarming and reassuring to know that there are detectives out there who are willing to take that information and go after these bad guys, no matter how long it takes.”
And Fuda said getting bad guys off the street makes the entire community safer.
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