A lifelong dream to visit New York City turned into a tragedy for 20-year-old Ethan Williams on October 24, 2020. The male Indiana University sophomore film student was on his first trip to the city, a place he had dreamed of seeing since he was a boy. He and his friends had traveled from Indiana and were staying at an Airbnb in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, hoping to film skateboarding videos.
In the early morning hours, at approximately 2:30 a.m., Williams and his friends were sitting on the front stoop of their rental on Eldert Street when gunfire erupted. Williams was struck in the chest by a bullet. He was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries. Police believed from the beginning that he was an innocent bystander and not the intended target of the shooting.
For two years, the case remained without an arrest, leaving his family and friends waiting for answers. Williams was remembered as a kind and compassionate young man who was passionate about filmmaking and skateboarding and had been active in his community, even working with local officials to combat violence. His family described his death as a heartbreaking and horrific loss of a life full of promise. The senselessness of the act left a community in mourning, both in his hometown of Indianapolis and among those who learned of his story in New York.
A break in the case finally came on November 3, 2022, when the New York City Police Department arrested 26-year-old William Freeman of Gravesend, Brooklyn. Freeman was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. According to prosecutors, Freeman confessed to the crime, stating that he had opened fire on the group in a case of mistaken identity. He allegedly believed that someone on the stoop was responsible for his cousin's death that had occurred a few weeks earlier.
Following his arrest, William Freeman was arraigned on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was ordered to be held without bail. His defense attorney has argued that Freeman's confession was false and coerced. The prosecution brought a measure of hope to Williams's family that justice would be served for the young man whose dream trip ended in an unimaginable nightmare.
