NYC councilman demands judge's resignation after career criminal was let back on the streets and shot a cop | Law Enforcement Today

NEW YORK CITY, NY - A city councilman has gone on records saying that a Queen's judge showed a "stunning lack of judgement" when he decided to free a career criminal who has chronically broken the law for years. That same individual went on to shoot and injure two people, including a police officer, before being fatally shot by officers during an exchange of gunfire.

According to Fox News, Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) is urging Mayor Eric Adams to demand the immediate resignation of Queens Criminal Court Judge Edward Daniels for making the decision to free 57-year-old Gary Worthy back in August without bail for assault and burglary charges — both felonies.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said that Worthy was already on lifetime parole for firearms possession and more than a dozen other prior convictions, including murder, robbery, burglary, and narcotics possessions. Not only was this individual a chronic offender, but he committed felony upon felony.

Adams, who is also a Democrat, appointed Daniels to the bench back in April. In a statement, Holden said, "Mayor Adams called Judge Daniels one of the best and brightest and said public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity. Yet Daniels' decisions have shown a stunning lack of judgement. Denying requests to detain someone with Worthy's violent record does not reflect the integrity we need in our judges. Mayor Adams must act swiftly to remove the judge he appointed before more violence occurs."

A spokesperson for Adams' office said that the mayor, like most New Yorkers, is "outraged that a dangerous repeat offender was able to roam our streets freely and commit violence against an NYPD officer and an innocent bystander." The spokesperson added, "This is a prime example of the criminal justice system failing our city and while demanding the resignation of a judge is not a power the mayor has, we are hopeful our criminal justice partners will be better collaborators with us in the future."

On Tuesday, November 26th, Worthy got into a shootout with NYPD officers who were responding to reports of armed robberies in Queens. Two officers attempted to approach Worthy, telling him to stop, but the armed man began to run and fired one shot at an officer, hitting him in the thigh. That officer, Rich Wong, was able to fire back, and killed Worthy.

The shooting incident, also reported earlier by Law Enforcement Today, noted that Wong has been with the NYPD for seven years. He is expected to make a full recovery. The innocent bystander that was also hit in the shootout is a 26-year-old woman who is also expected to survive her injuries. 

Worthy had been arrested less than a week prior for alleged narcotics possession and resisting arrest. However, he was later released from custody even though he has a long criminal background for committing violent crimes. Police said that he was also wanted for three other gunpoint robberies this past year. 

Adams said the handling of Worthy's previous charges marked a failure of the city's criminal justice system. On social media he wrote, "While we are grateful that they will recover, we are also angry that a repeat offender who previously plead guilty to manslaughter and had seven arrests since 2021 was free to commit two robberies tonight and ultimately shoot two people."