GRANTS, N.M. – A man wanted for the shooting of a police officer in Oklahoma was arrested in Grants Monday morning, after a swift and coordinated response from multiple law enforcement agencies surrounded the man’s vehicle. The suspect, identified as Billy Wayne Williams, attempted to take his own life when confronted by police in the Walmart parking lot.
According to Grants Police Chief Maxine Monte, the department received a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in the early hours of March 17, 2025. The alert identified Williams as armed and extremely dangerous, with an active $1,000,000 bond warrant for his arrest. Authorities had been searching for a white Nissan Altima with Oklahoma plates.
At approximately 7:42 a.m., Grants police used the Flock Safety License Plate Reader (LPR) system to confirm the suspect's vehicle had entered the city; these are plate readers which were originally implemented in the Village of Milan and have been used several times by local law enforcement agencies to successfully locate suspects. Officers began searching the area Williams’ car was read by the LPRs and found his car in the Walmart parking lot, occupied by Williams.
A multi-agency response was initiated, with officers from the Grants Police Department, Milan Police Department, Cibola County Sheriff’s Office, and New Mexico State Police converging on the location.
As officers moved in, a single gunshot rang out. It was later determined that Williams had fired a self-inflicting gunshot round.
First responders from Grants Fire and Rescue EMS were initially held back until the situation was secured. Once officers confirmed there was no longer an active threat, paramedics attended to the suspect and transported him to Cibola General Hospital before he was transferred to an Albuquerque hospital.
As of the latest reports, Williams is in critical but stable condition.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has since taken custody of the suspect, and the case remains under active investigation in collaboration with New Mexico and Oklahoma FBI divisions, as well as the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation (OBI).
No officers or civilians were injured during the incident.
This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.