Charges Against Teen Rapper C Blu Who Was Accused Of Shooting NYPD Cop, Dropped

Charges have been reportedly dropped against the teenage drill rapper Camrin Williams or C Blu who was accused of shooting a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer during a scuffle in the Bronx on Jan. 18.

Popularly known as C Blu Williams is a 16-year-old reputed gangbanger and rapper. According to the city Law Department on Friday, the gun and assault case against him "cannot be prosecuted."

"Mayor Adams and the NYPD demonized my client in the press and accused him of shooting a police officer," said Williams' attorney Dawn Florio. "My client is thrilled that ... the matter will be closed and sealed, that all charges have been dropped. It has always been our position that it was the police, not my client, who caused that gun to go off, shooting my client and grazing an officer."

"The Law Department has determined that this case cannot be prosecuted," said Nicholas Paolucci, a spokesman for the agency. "But let's be clear: Just because the city cannot prosecute doesn't mean this individual should have been carrying an illegal weapon — a weapon which contributed to both him and an officer being shot."

Williams was among the "disorderly crowd" on Jan. 18 at Lorillard Place near Third Ave. in Belmont. According to the police, they approached and ordered the "No Ozone" rapper to remove his hands from his pockets. However, Williams did not comply, which led to the police taking him to the ground.

The gun went off during the brawl. The bullet struck Williams in the groin and hit Officer Kaseem Pennant in the leg. None of the injuries were life-threatening. Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell firmly stated the incident as an example of the dangers police face as they ask to reduce gun violence in the city.

Meanwhile, Bronx Supreme Court Judge Naita Semaj evaluated it differently. She said the video displayed Williams complying with all police orders. "He literally does everything you tell your child to do when they're approached by cops. He literally kept his hands up. He literally tried to record to make sure there was proof. He answered questions he had no obligation to answer," Semaj said.

She added that an arresting officer's testimony in court was "incredible and unreliable. "I cannot state how absolutely incredible his testimony was. It was inconsistent with the video, it was inconsistent with his fellow officer's testimony, it was self-serving, it had no value," the judge said of Officer Taulant Gjonbalaj.

Williams is a member of the Reywey Crew, a subset of the Crips. He was previously arrested in the Bronx in May 2020, when he was just 14 years old, for possession of a Tauris firearm.