Man arrested for mistaken-identity killing of 20-year-old tourist visiting Brooklyn
A man has been arrested for the mistaken-identity murder of a young tourist from Indiana who was killed while sitting on a Brooklyn stoop with friends, police said Thursday.
William Freeman, 26, was arrested and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the death of Ethan Williams, 20.
The victim was fulfilling a dream of visiting the Big Apple when he was hit in the chest with the bullet on a staircase on Eldert St. near Bushwick Ave. in Bushwick on Oct. 24, 2020.
Freeman was named a person of interest and police then used facial recognition technology to identify him as the shooter, cops said.
After missing a court date for a Jan. 3 petty larceny charge, a bench warrant was issued for him.
Officers from the NYPD’s public safety unit arrested Freeman in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
He made statements to police implicating himself as being in involved in Williams’ murder, according to cops.
A videographer and avid skateboarder, Williams flew to New York with friends to shoot skateboard videos, police sources said.
He was staying in an Airbnb near the scene when bullets flew.
Unbeknownst to Williams and his friends, they were staying in an area where the TBO gang hangs out.
Williams was an unintended target and caught in the crossfires of a gang-related shooting, police said.
Freeman is a member of the Cash Money Brothers gang, cops said.
His arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court was pending Thursday evening.
Williams’ family noted their son’s forgiving nature as they grieved over their loss.
“Ethan, a sophomore film student at Indiana University, loved people, particularly those who were marginalized or hurting,” the family said at the time of the murder.
“If he had the opportunity to say something to the shooter, we know that he would invite him for a cup of coffee and ask to hear their story. He would forgive without delay.
