Criminal charges against the New York City teenage rapper accused of shooting an NYPD officer during a scuffle in the Bronx earlier this year have been dropped, law enforcement officials confirmed.
The gun and assault case against C Blu, a 16-year-old reputed gangbanger and rapper whose real name is Camrin Williams, “cannot be prosecuted,” the city Law Department said in a Friday statement, without explanation.
In January this year, Williams had been charged for allegedly shooting 27-year-old police officer Kaseem Pennant in the leg while he was on probation for a prior gun case.
In February, Bronx Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle set Williams’ bond at $250,000, which he posted, reportedly with an upfront payment he received after signing a recording contract with Interscope Records.
One week after being released on bond, Williams was hauled back into juvenile court for violating his probation. However, Williams’ fortunes changed this week when his latest case was dropped.
“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 drop the charges against Williams “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 detectives, Williams’ gun went off while he was vigorously struggling with the officer who responded to a disorderly crowd on Lorillard Place on January 19.
Williams — a member of the Reywey Crew, a subset of the Crips – stepped toward a white car and put his hands in his pockets, detectives said. When police asked him to show his hands, he refused, which led to the struggle.
In May 2020 at the age of 14, Williams was previously arrested in the Bronx for possession of a Tauris firearm, authorities said.
