NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Police have arrested the gunman they say fatally shot a 20-year-old Indiana college student while he was visiting New York City in 2020.
William Freeman, 26, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon after Ethan Williams was struck by a stray bullet as he sat on the stoop of his Bushwick Airbnb with friends from Indiana early on Oct. 24, 2020.
Ethan's father, Jason, told the Daily News that he was driving when he got the call from a Brooklyn prosecutor after Freeman's arrest, telling him that he "might want to pull over."
"Initially, I thought something was wrong," he said. "She said we've arrested a man for the murder of your son. He has given us a full statement."
Williams, 48, said he "immediately" called his wife and son, adding that his "wife started crying" and that his "son was silent."
"He didn't want to know his name," he added. "We just kind of stood on the phone together for a few minutes."
Investigators had reportedly concluded during their lengthy investigation that the shooter mistook Ethan and his friends for members of a rival gang and started firing.
Police also believed that Freeman was a person of interest but said they didn't have enough evidence to charge him, though facial recognition software was able to identify him.
According to the report, Freeman was arrested after he missed a court date for a Jan. 3 petty larceny charge. Freeman later implicated himself in Ethan's murder while being questioned by authorities on Thursday, sources told the outlet.
A source said the 26-year-old's DNA was linked to the gun believed to have been used in the killing. Sources also said the murder was retaliation for the gang-related murder of Freeman's cousin, Elijah Mims, who was shot dead on Aug. 30, 2020, as he sat inside a Mercedes outside a Bushwick block party.
Freeman is now due to be arraigned Friday.
"An innocent college student was killed visiting our city, and my office is committed to holding his alleged killer accountable for this horrific act of violence," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a statement. "Our thoughts continue to be with Ethan's family and friends."
Williams said the arrest filled him with a sense of relief more than joy.
"It's not an emotion I’ve felt before. Happy is not the word," he said. "It's a weight off knowing that a killer is off the streets, and it’s certainly better than the alternative. I have piece of mind knowing that he’s not on the streets."
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