Antonio Williams’ family fi ghts for truth
Family demands disciplinary action for offi cers who killed their son
BY JASON COHEN
A year after Antonio Williams
was murdered by police in the Bronx,
members of the community expressed
outrage for the lack of disciplinary action
for the NYPD offi cers and that the
unedited version of offi cers’ body cam
footage had not yet been released.
On Sept. 29, Williams’ family was
joined by Communities United for Police
Reform (CPR), Justice Committee,
Assemblyman Michael Blake, racial
justice advocates and community
members as they held a vigil at the
Edenwald Houses at 1128 E 229th St.
The event honored the one-year anniversary
of the 27-year-old’s death at
the hands of NYPD offi cers, who also
killed fellow Offi cer Brian Mulkeen in
friendly fi re.
“I think of everything they say
about my son and it hurts and angers
me because you never knew him,” said
his father Shawn Williams. “You know
nothing about him but you made your
own judgment. I will continue to fi ght
until I get the truth of what happened
to my son.”
On Sept. 29, 2019, Williams was
standing on the street waiting for
a taxi, when plainclothes offi cers
jumped out of cars just after midnight.
He was killed by NYPD offi cers after
being chased, tackled and punched.
Six cops reportedly drew their
guns and opened fi re, killing both
Williams and Mulkeen in a reckless
hail of 15 bullets. The NYPD has offered
no explanation for why Williams
was fi rst approached or why
they escalated the incident without
reasonable suspicion of a crime.
Since Williams’ death, there has
been no word from Mayor de Blasio
or the NYPD on whether any offi cers
will be disciplined. The Bronx District
Attorney’s offi ce has not completed
its investigation. The Williams
family has demanded that the offi cers
involved be fi red from the NYPD and
charged by the DA’s offi ce.
Shawn and his wife Gladys were
quite emotional when speaking about
their son. Shawn said that Williams
was a brother, son and father, He recalled
how his son loved poetry, tried
being a rapper, but most importantly,
enjoyed life.
“He was always there for his brothers
and he loved them to the end,”
Shawn commented. “He loved his son
and daughter. As a father, I loved him
to the end.”
Shawn said he did not understand
why the police would attack and kill
his son. Gladys also expressed frustration
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,46 OCTOBER 9-15, 2020 BTR
Shawn and Gladys Williams. Photos by Jason Cohen
with the mayor and DA Darcel
Clark.
“We ask Darcel Clark to prosecute
these cops,” she exclaimed.
“It’s been a year and we still have
no transparency.”
Loyda Colon, co-director of the Justice
Committee and a spokesperson
for Communities United for Police Reform,
echoed her sentiments.
“In the year since the NYPD
gunned Antonio Williams down, his
family has experienced disrespect
and disregard by the Bronx District
Attorney’s offi ce, Mayor de Blasio
and the NYPD,” Colon said. “No family
should be forced to wait this long
without answers and without accountability.
The offi cers should already
have been fi red for their illegal stop,
escalation and reckless shooting that
killed Antonio and we will continue
to fi ght with the Williams family until
this happens.”
Among the people at the vigil was
Victor Dempsey, a friend of Williams’,
whose brother Delrawn Small was
also killed by the police in 2016.
Dempsey expressed disbelief at the
fact that he lost both his brother and a
good friend in the past four years. He
recalled how Williams always made
him laugh and often ate chicken wings
that fell on his stomach.
An emotional Dempsey told people
about a time they were playing football
and he was about to get blindsided
when suddenly, Williams knocked the
other guy down. Williams said, “don’t
worry, I got you.”
“Seeing his name on a sign is a
problem for me,” Dempsey said. “His
life was stolen from him. His family
deserves answers.”
David Rankin, a lawyer for the Williams’
family, said that he is not giving
up on this case and justice is coming.
According to Rankin, waiting for
a cab is not illegal and police should
have told Williams why they were
approaching him.
For a year, the city had used legal
tactics to stonewall Williams’ family
to prevent the release of the full body
camera footage, Rankin said.
“We truly hope we can get justice,”
Rankin stressed. “We’re working as
hard as we possibly can. It’s sad. They
acted recklessly and created a situation
that caused two people’s deaths.”
While Assemblyman Blake is an
elected offi cial, he emphasized that he
is a Black man fi rst, who grew up on
Crescent and Burnside Avenues.
At the vigil, Blake said he was getting
sick and tired of seeing Black people
killed and questioned where justice
was for Williams, Breonna Taylor
and Jacob Blake.
“I shouldn’t be afraid of waiting
outside for a cab,” Blake said. “These
cops must be fi red and held accountable.
I’m not saying every cop is a bad
cop, but the cops that are silent about
this are bad cops. If you are not willing
to speak about what’s happening
in this country, then you have no business
wearing the uniform.”