Gunman charged for death of Indiana skateboarder struck by stray bullet in NYC

Adam Devine
Ethan Williams - Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with murder for allegedly shooting an Indiana man who was sitting on a stoop in Bushwick, Brooklyn, killing him.

NEW YORK – Ethan Williams, an Indiana skateboarder who traveled to New York City to compete in a skateboarding tournament in 2020 never made it him. Williams was shot and killed by a stray bullet while sitting on a stoop at an AirBnB rental he was staying at in Bushwick.

This week, William Freeman, 26, of Gravesend, Brooklyn, was arraigned for two counts of second-degree murder. Williams at the time was traveling the country to visit skate parks featured in Tony Hawk skateboarding video games.

rooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with murder for allegedly shooting an Indiana man who was sitting on a stoop in Bushwick, Brooklyn, killing him.

In June, Williams was memorialized by the city of Indianapolis by having portions of the Willard Park Skatepark named in his honor.


Kings County District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Ethan Williams was a kind and compassionate young man who had his whole life ahead of him. His visit to New York City was the culmination of a lifelong dream and his untimely and unnecessary death is horrific and heartbreaking. I hope this prosecution brings some sense of solace to his family as we seek to bring this defendant to justice.”

Gonzales said the following was obtained from court records:

According to the investigation, the victim, Ethan Williams, 20, an Indiana University student on his first visit to New York City, was sitting on a stoop at 42 Eldert Street, in Bushwick, with several friends with whom he was renting an AirBnB, on October 24, 2020, at approximately 2:30 a.m., when the defendant allegedly opened fire on the group. Ethan was struck in the chest and died of his wounds.

The defendant then fled the scene, according to the investigation. The defendant was arrested on November 3, 2022, in the vicinity of 480 Knickerbocker Avenue, in Bushwick, after a car in which he was a passenger was stopped by police. The defendant allegedly made statements admitting, in essence, that the defendant shot at the victim’s group because he mistakenly thought someone in the group was responsible for his cousin’s death a few weeks prior.

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