Family of man shot dead by NYPD suing for unedited video of the incident
Police opened fire on Antonio Williams and officer Brian Mulkeen, shooting 14 times and killing them
The grieving family of a New York man fatally dead by in the Bronx by police is filing a lawsuit against the NYPD requesting the release of an unedited video of the violent encounter.
Wednesday morning, the Daily News reported that relatives of Antonio Williams plan to file the lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court. It is their belief that the edited video released by the NYPD of the Sept. 29, 2019 incident is misleading and doesn’t accurately portray what took place.
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“I’m trying to get the truth on what happened that night. My family is still in the dark on it,” said Williams’ father Shaun Williams, 49.
“My son was standing there waiting for a cab and the next thing you know he’s dead. He was chased down by the NYPD. When we tried to get information from the police and Mayor de Blasio, all we received was edited video.”
The elder Williams, who also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NYPD, is a mental health therapy aide and shared that his son’s death has totally shattered the family. As a result, they are requesting any and all documents generated by the authorities in the case which also led to the death of an officer.
“We’re going through a lot,” he explained. “My family and his brothers are going through a lot of issues — therapy, trauma. His twin brother is going through a lot.”
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This is about transparency. There are a lot of question that remain unanswered…#AntonioWilliams’ family seems to be getting left behind.- NYC Public Advocate @JumaaneWilliams calls for answers about NYPD killing of Antonio Williams pic.twitter.com/U97dmNSC4x
— CPR Change the NYPD (@changethenypd) December 13, 2019
On the night in question, Williams had spent the evening watching a boxing match on TV with friends, and afterward was waiting outside for a cab when officer Brian Mulkeen and his partner pulled up in an unmarked police car a little after midnight.
The NYPD says the frightened 27-year-old ran away as the officers approached him. A chase and violent struggle between Williams and Mulkeen then ensued, and authorities claim when Williams reached for Mulkeen’s gun it went off.
In the video released by police, the 33-year-old officer can be heard on his body camera shouting, “He’s reaching for it — he’s reaching for it!”
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In response, three other officers on the scene opened fire. They shot 14 times and killed both Williams and Mulkeen.
As the Daily News points out, “The NYPD has offered no explanation for why Williams was initially approached or why the officers escalated the incident allegedly without reasonable suspicion of a crime.”
“What we see in the video made available by the NYPD is a scripted and heavily edited version of what happened that led to the death of Mr. Williams,” opined Jonathan Moore, a lawyer for the family. “If the NYPD has nothing to hide, it will immediately release all the video footage and other records and documents we are requesting.”
