Robert Williams Wiki – Biography
Robert Williams, a paroled attempted murderer, was named as the suspect accused of trying to assassinate two New York City police officers as they sat in a marked police van, according to NBC New York.
Police have not identified the suspect, and another New York news site earlier gave a different name for him before deleting it without explanation. However, NBC New York says he is Williams based on a law enforcement source:
NEW: #Bronx cop shooter identified as Robert Williams. LE sources tell @jonathan4ny & @MarcSantia4NY Williams previously arrested on murder charges in 1992 and 2002 #nbc4ny #NYPD https://t.co/2VRLkU7zPe pic.twitter.com/cZShLBMtmY
— Steven Bognar (@Bogs4NY) February 9, 2020
Robert Williams Age
Robert Williams age is unknown.
NYPD Shootings
“This harkens back to some very bad times… this is something that should outrage, and I know it does, all New Yorkers,” the police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in an initial news conference, mentioning other officers who were assassinated in New York City over the years. In this case, one of the officers in the van was shot but is expected to survive.
Just hours after the first shooting, a man walked into the 41st Precinct building in the Bronx around 8 a.m. and opened fire, shooting a second police officer. Police are investigating whether the shootings are related; the second officer, a female lieutenant shot in the arm, is also expected to recover, according to ABC 7. The New York Post reported through law enforcement sources that authorities think the same gunman did both shootings, but police have not confirmed or denied that.
The Police Commissioner Called the First Shooting an ‘Assassination Attempt’,
The @nypd is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the male depicted in these photos for questioning in regard to the shooting of a NYPD Police Officer in the area of Simpson Street and Barreto Street in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/HeI5fOovfO
— NYPD Chief of Department (@NYPDChiefOfDept) February 9, 2020
The police commissioner and mayor didn’t mince words when talking about the first shooting into the marked police van. They called it an attempted assassination.
The commissioner said in the initial press conference: “Three hours ago, an uniformed police officer sitting in a marked police van in the confines of the 41st Precinct was shot and wounded. By the grace of God we are talking about an officer who will be going home. This was an assassination attempt of two city police officers.”
The mayor said of the officer shot in the van: “Thank God he is going to be ok…This was an attempt to assassinate police officers. Out in the open, an individual walked up to a police van with the intention of killing police officers.”
Videos Captured Both Shooting Scenes
https://twitter.com/NYCityAlerts/status/1226365015797698560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1226365015797698560&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com%2Fnews%2F2020%2F02%2Frobert-williams-nypd-shooting-suspect%2F
Dramatic surveillance videos captured the scene of the first police officer shooting (see above) and also the second, which occurred inside the precinct. This video shows the chaos after the second shooting erupted:
Watch an additional video how "Brave" @NYPD41Pct neutralizes the 2nd Shooter. #Bronx #Longwood #LongwoodBronx #NYPD #Breaking https://t.co/iIovpfBksh pic.twitter.com/ghEwnT1UZy
— NYC Scoop (@NY_Scoop) February 9, 2020
The site Real Buffing News also shared a second video on Twitter.
Breaking: Bronx: Watch the Suspect entering the @NYPD41Pct, shooting the Lieutenants at the 2nd shooting in the #Bronx $Longwood #LongwoodBronx #Breaking #NYPD pic.twitter.com/a2hvE70HrL
— NYC Scoop (@NY_Scoop) February 9, 2020
Williams Has a Criminal History
According to NBC New York managing editor Steve Bognar, Williams was “previously arrested on murder charges in 1992 and 2002.” NBC New York reported, via a source, that Williams “was paroled in 2017 after an attempted murder conviction.”
The New York Post, which is also now naming Williams as the suspect, reported that has a record including arrests for “homicide and gun possession,” and “just got out for a machine gun charge.”
Police believe the suspect asked for directions before suddenly opening fire and shooting at the police officers in the first incident.
A senior police official identified the alleged gunman as Robert Williams. According to the official, Williams was paroled in 2017 after an attempted murder conviction. https://t.co/5SC6r6Z6gU
— NECN (@NECN) February 9, 2020
Commissioner Shea said that uniformed police officers sitting in the marked police van with its emergency lights activated were in the 41st precinct “to keep residents safe because of recent drug activity as well as violence in the area.”
He added that they were “shot by a man who first engaged the officer and his partner in conversation” and they were “assigned to the drug prone area…recently because of the violence, shots fired in the area.”
According to the Shea, Around 8:28 p.m. on February 8, a male approached the two officers sitting in the marked van. asking them for directions and pulling out a gun “without provocation,”
The Driver of the Police Van Was Shot in the Face
According to Shea, when the suspect pulled out the gun, the officer operating the marked van yelled “gun” and tried to put the vehicle into drive to pull away from the scene. “Multiple shots were fired by the perpetrator at close proximity into the van,” he said. “At least one, possibly two, shots struck the operator of the van.”
Bronx NYPD shootings: Second attack reported as gunman opens fire inside precinct https://t.co/Kq0Ey9gF4W pic.twitter.com/s4QvkWQ5tV
— New York Post (@nypost) February 9, 2020
One bullet struck the officer in the chin and one struck him in the neck “narrowly missing the carotid region and it’s a miracle we are not here under worse circumstances,” said the police commissioner.
Second Shooting Occurred Within 12 Hours of the First
Within 12 hours later, a second police officer was shot, inside the 41st Precinct station house.
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NBC New York reported that, after shooting an officer, the suspect put the gun on the ground and surrendered.
Investigation Report
Neither of the officers returned fire. “The investigation is extremely active at this point, and we have a description of a male 20-30 years of age with a black jacket in that area,” he said in the initial news conference.
Pat Lynch, the President of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of the City of New York, said in the news conference that the shooting “shows how dangerous the streets can be for New York City police officers. Fortunately these police officers were vigilant, they were awake, they were ready and were able to avoid a tragedy.”
He added: “Don’t take lightly the words, an attempted assassination.” He called on elected officials to “now recognize how dangerous the streets are and start working with us to make sure people like this don’t walk our streets. We hope the courts have the laws that allow them to make sure we get justice.”
Shea said a bullet also struck a door jam on the driver’s side. “They were there to protect the residents of that block,” he added of the officers.
The two officers have known each other since roughly middle school.