Today, at 5:00 PM ET, the family of Antonio Williams held a vigil, followed by a march, at Edenwald Houses in the Bronx, where 27-year-old Williams and Officer Brian Mulkeen were killed by a reckless hail of 15 bullets from multiple plainclothes Bronx police officers on September 29, 2019, during what is believed to have been an unlawful stop. The event was led by Shawn and Gladys Williams, father and step-mother of Antonio Williams, and Antonio’s five brothers. They were joined by New York State Senator Julia Salazar; New York State Assemblymember Michael Blake; Hawa Bah, the mother of Mohamed Bah, who was killed by NYPD in 2012; Victor Dempsey, the brother of Delrawn Small, who was killed by the NYPD in 2016; Nancy Pacheco, the sister-in-law of Jayson Tirado who was killed by the NYPD in 2007; Samy Feliz, the brother of Allan Feliz who was killed by the NYPD in 2019; Communities United for Police Reform (CPR); Justice Committee and community members.
The vigil and march marked one year since the murder of Williams and echoed Antonio Williams’ family’s ongoing call for transparency and accountability surrounding his death.
“We are so angry and saddened by the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the murder of our son by the NYPD over the past year,” said Shawn and Gladys Williams, father and step-mother of Antonio Williams. “We miss Antonio so much, his brothers and sister miss him and his children miss him. We still don’t know how to tell his children that their daddy was killed because he was a Black man waiting for a cab – but that’s what happened. It’s unbelievable that we had to fight even to get the names of officers who killed our son. We’re going to keep fighting for justice and accountability.”
On September 29, 2019, Antonio Williams was standing on the street, waiting for a taxi, when plainclothes officers jumped out of cars at him after midnight. Williams was killed by NYPD officers after being chased, tackled, and punched by officers. Six officers reportedly drew their guns and opened fire, killing both Williams and Officer Brian Mulkeen in a reckless hail of 15 bullets. The NYPD has offered no explanation for why Williams was first approached or why they escalated the incident without reasonable suspicion of a crime.
“In the year since the NYPD gunned Antonio Williams down, his family has experienced disrespect and disregard by the Bronx District Attorney's office, Mayor de Blasio, and the NYPD,” said Loyda Colon, co-director of the Justice Committee and a spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform. “No family should be forced to wait this long without answers and without accountability. The officers should already have been fired for their illegal stop, escalation, and reckless shooting that killed Antonio and we will continue to fight with the Williams family until this happens."
Since Williams’ death, there has been no word from Mayor de Blasio or the NYPD on whether any officers will be disciplined. The Bronx District Attorney’s office has not completed its investigation. The Williams family demands that the officers involved be fired from the NYPD and charged by the Bronx DA’s office.
Justice Committee is a grassroots organization dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City and empowering low-income Latinx and other people of color to address these issues.
Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.
##