A 16-year-old boy charged with shooting a police officer in New York City is back on the streets after a judge allowed him to leave jail on $250,000 bond.
According to the Daily Caller, Camrin Williams was arrested last week after shooting officer Kaseem Pennant in the Bronx borough of New York. Williams is an aspiring rapper who goes by the stage name of “C Blu.”
The New York Post reported that the suspect is a member of a subset of the Crips gang known as the Reywey Crew.
On Jan. 18, officers responding to reports of an unruly crowd saw Williams approaching a vehicle with his hands in his pockets. He refused to show his hands after multiple demands from police, leading to a struggle.
During the confrontation, a round from Williams’ gun went off, hitting him in the groin and striking Pennant in the leg, the Post reported. Pennant was hospitalized overnight.
Williams was charged with attempted murder as well as criminal possession and use of a firearm.
This is not the first gun-related charge Williams has faced. He was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm at the age of 14.
Despite the suspect’s record and the severity of his latest crime, Judge Denis Boyle on Thursday made the decision to release him from a juvenile facility after he posted bond.
New York City Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch railed against the move.
“If anybody wants to know why we have a crisis of violence in this city, or why we’re about to bury two hero police officers, look no further than this disgraceful bail release,” Lynch said in a statement.
“This individual chose to carry illegal guns, twice. He chose to fight with and shoot a New York City police officer. There’s no reason to believe he won’t do the exact same thing when he’s out on the street tonight. Shame on Judge Denis Boyle for allowing this to happen. The people of the Bronx won’t be safe as long as he’s on the bench.”
Statement from PBA President Pat Lynch Regarding the 16-Year-Old Who Shot an NYPD Officer in the Bronx on Jan. 18, Who Was Released After Posting $250,000 Bail pic.twitter.com/oQSpWVLWEG
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) January 28, 2022
An Office of Court Administration spokesman understood Lynch’s anger but said it was aimed at the wrong party.
“The ire that the PBA president is projecting on the judge, who is following the law, should be directed at the individuals who promulgate those laws,” he said in a statement, according to the Daily Caller.
Progressive lawmakers in New York have drawn criticism for their soft responses to rising crime. The Daily Caller reported that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has promised not to incarcerate people for certain crimes.
“The Office will not seek a carceral sentence other than for homicide or other cases involving the death of a victim, a class B violent felony in which a deadly weapon causes serious physical injury, domestic violence felonies, sex offenses in Article 130 of the Penal Law, public corruption, rackets, or major economic crimes,” Bragg said in a Jan. 3 memo.
In addition, New York lawmakers changed the law in 2019 to greatly reduce the number of crimes for which a judge can set bail. Most of the crimes remaining on that list are violent felonies, Fox News reported.
Conservatives in New York have asked Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to consider changes to the bail reform law. Despite rising crime, Hochul has expressed no interest in altering the law.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.