The grieving father of Ethan Williams — the 20-year-old Indiana vacationer gunned down within the Massive Apple — on Monday slammed New York politicians over their “silence,” saying elected leaders aren’t doing sufficient to stifle surging crime.
With out mentioning her by title, Jason Williams referenced a remark Gov. Kathy Hochul made throughout a debate with Republican challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin final month when she questioned why he was so targeted on crime.
“To listen to one candidate say to a different, ‘I’m unsure why that’s so vital to you’ with regard to crime surges in New York is tone-deaf to the struggling of households like mine,” Williams informed The Put up. “Tone-deaf towards ladies, akin to the jogger raped in Manhattan simply final week. And tone-deaf in direction of surges of violence in opposition to Asian Individuals.”
Williams, whose son was shot lifeless on Oct. 23, 2020, whereas vacationing with buddies in Brooklyn, warned that “what occurs in New York ripples all through the nation.”
“The load of silence of your elected leaders has not gone unnoticed,” he mentioned.
Greater than two years after his son’s homicide, police arrested a suspect final week, William Freeman, an alleged profession legal with 9 prior arrests for medication, assault and petty larceny courting again to 2013. A lot of the instances have since been sealed, however data present he was busted for gun possession on Sept. 8, 2018, in a home violence assault case on April 27, 2019 and most lately in January on a petit larceny rap, all in Manhattan.
“My son is lifeless as a result of a legal with 9 earlier arrests was free, strolling the streets of New York Metropolis,” Williams mentioned Monday.
“I can even word that despite the fact that my son was a high-profile sufferer and one of many solely vacationers to be gunned down in a few years, with nationwide information protection, not as soon as did I obtain condolences from [then] Mayor [Bill] de Blasio, Mayor [Eric] Adams or [then] Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo,” he mentioned.
He mentioned solely the Brooklyn District Lawyer’s Workplace and the NYPD have stepped up in his son’s case.
Freeman, 26, is accused of firing at Ethan and his buddies as they sat on the stoop of their Bushwick Airbnb, allegedly as a result of he believed one of many friends was a rival gang member.
He already had a warrant out for his arrest within the January petit larceny case when cops stopped him Thursday night time in a automobile with no entrance license plate and never sporting a seat belt, in response to prosecutors.
Freeman was allegedly caught making an attempt to steal child system and cigarette lighters from a Manhattan retailer on Jan. 3, in response to a legal criticism filed in that case. He was charged with tried petty larceny, in addition to possession of a weapon for allegedly having a switchblade on him, however was launched and ordered to participate in a court-ordered alternative program — solely to skip out on future court docket appearances.
An arrest warrant was issued for him in June, however Freeman’s remained free till his arrest Thursday. Brooklyn prosecutors mentioned he later confessed on tape to the 2020 taking pictures.
However Brooklyn Prison Court docket Decide Leigh Cheng, at Freeman’s arraignment on Friday, set bail on the alleged killer at $350,000 money over the objections of prosecutors, who needed him to be held behind bars with none bail.
Freeman remained at Rikers Island on the excessive bail Monday — however the determination to set any bail within the case got here as a shock to the sufferer’s father.
“A lot of the dialog round bail reform has change into nothing greater than a boxing match over which elections are being determined,” Williams famous.
“I’m additionally conscious, sadly, that this has change into a political challenge,” he added. “In my view, nonetheless, I don't see this as a political challenge, however fairly a human one.
“It doesn’t matter what aspect of the road you might be on if you reply the telephone to be informed that your youngster has been ‘shot. And Mr. Williams — it’s actually dangerous.'”
The choose’s determination comes on the eve of New York’s gubernatorial elections, through which Hochul, a Democrat, is going through a severe problem from Zeldin, who has been operating on a tough-on-crime platform.
“I'd say that no matter your politics, Republican or Democrat, this can be a significant issue for New Yorkers and an issue you have to cope with earlier than, God forbid, your telephone rings,” Williams mentioned.
Williams mentioned the Airbnb the place his son was staying along with his friends had a five-star score — however the firm has since refused to speak to him or reply his questions concerning the tragedy. He has since signed an settlement to seem in an upcoming docuseries about security at Airbnb areas, he mentioned.
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