The case of a college student gunned down on a Brooklyn stoop more than two years ago is finally headed to court after investigators arrested a man accused of pulling the trigger.
Authorities cuffed William Freeman, 26, earlier this month for allegedly shooting Ethan Williams of Indiana. The sophomore student was found around 2:30 a.m. on Eldert Street in Bushwick with a gunshot wound to the chest. He later died at Wyckoff Medical Center.
Williams, a student attending Indiana University, had traveled to New York City for a skateboard tournament when a bullet ended his life on Oct. 24, 2020. The 20-year-old had been sitting with friends on the stoop outside of the Airbnb rented for their visit.
"He dreamed of visiting New York since he was a boy and saw the movie 'Spiderman.' Ethan was living that dream on a trip to New York when he was struck by a stray bullet and killed," the family said in a statement to WTHR at the time.
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The family's statement continued: "Ethan, a sophomore film student at Indiana University, loved people, particularly those who were marginalized or hurting. 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. Ethan always saw beyond the surface and took the time to help others feel seen, important and loved."
Officers finally caught up to the suspected gunman on Nov. 3 of this year. The district attorney said police arrested Freeman in a traffic stop in Bushwick.
Freeman, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, admitted to shooting "at the victim’s group because he mistakenly thought someone in the group was responsible for his cousin’s death a few weeks prior." He was arraigned Friday on charges of murder and weapons possession, and is due back in court in February.
