Charges have been dropped against a teen rapper who is accused of shooting a New York City police officer. The gun and assault case against Camrin Williams, a 16-year-old rapper who goes by the stage name C Blu, “cannot be prosecuted,” the city Law Department said in a statement Friday.
Williams had been facing charges after shooting 27-year-old Kaseem Pennant in the leg this past January. The teen rapper was already on probation for a prior gun case at the time of the shooting, according to The New York Post.
Bronx Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle set the ascending rapper’s bond at $250,000 in February, which he posted. He had reportedly received an advance from Interscope Records, which he used to get out of jail.
Williams did not stay out of jail for long, however, as he was back in juvenile court just one week later after violating the terms of his probation.
The case was initially slated to be tried in adult court, but Judge Naita Semaj ruled that police had no reason to search him.
Now, the teen rapper’s fortune seems to be turning around even further after charges against him were unexpectedly tossed. NYC Juvenile Court officials did not elaborate on why the case was being dropped, much to the dismay of the NYPD and police unions.
“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,” the Law Department said in a statement. “Pursuant to Family Court Law, the case is now sealed and we are unable to say more about the matter.”
NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch called the decision to let Williams walk “absurd.”
“This absurd decision should outrage every New Yorker who wants to get illegal guns off our streets. There is no dispute that this individual was caught carrying an illegal gun for the second time. If perps like this face absolutely no consequences, even after shooting a cop, we have to ask: why bother sending us out to get the guns at all?”
According to the NYPD, the teen rapper’s gun went off during a scuffle with police officers. They were responding to reports of a disorderly crowd when they encountered Williams.
Williams — who frequently references his gang affiliations — reportedly approached a police car with his hands in his pockets. When officers asked to see his hands he refused, which led to a scuffle.
He was previously arrested in the Bronx in May 2020, when he was just 14, for possession of a handgun, authorities said.
New York Mayor Eric Adams defended the NYPD’s handling of the situation this past March. “I don’t believe those officers broke the law,” said Adams, who claimed cops searched “C Blu” after recognizing him from a prior gun arrest. “We will never say breaking the law is a way of enforcing the law, but those officers that put their lives on the line to remove illegal guns off the street should not be demonized,” Adams added at the March press conference.
