A New York City councilman on Tuesday said a Queens judge showed an “astonishing lack of judgment” when he released a career criminal, who then shot and killed two people, including a police officer, and was at the center of a shootout. He said he was killed by a police officer. .
Democratic City Councilman Robert Holden called on Mayor Eric Adams to resign Queens Criminal Court Judge Edward Daniels, who released Gary Worthy, 57, without bail on assault and robbery charges in August. According to newspaper reports, new york post.
According to the NYPD, Worthy was already on life parole for more than a dozen previous convictions, including firearms possession, murder, robbery, burglary and drug possession.
Adams, a Democrat, appointed Daniels to the bench in April of this year.
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City Councilman Robert Holden speaks at the Veterans Day Breakfast Gala at Gracie Mansion on November 9, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“Mayor Adams called Judge Daniels one of the best and brightest judges and said public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity,” Holden said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “But Daniels' decision showed an astonishing lack of judgment. Denying Worthy's request to detain someone with a history of violence does not reflect the integrity we expect from our judges. Mayor Adams must act quickly to remove the judges he appointed before further violence occurs.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mayor's Office and the Office of Court Administration for comment.
Authorities said Worthy exchanged gunfire with police officers who were responding to a report of an armed robbery in Queens on Tuesday.
Gary Worthy detained two local businesses and shot and killed an NYPD officer and an innocent bystander. (New York City Police Department)
Police say two officers approached a man in the Jamaica section of Queens to tell him to stop, but the man started running and fired one shot at the officers, hitting the officer in the thigh. Officer Rich Wong returned fire, killing Worthy.
Officials said Wong is expected to survive. Police said a 26-year-old woman was also injured in the leg during the shootout, but is expected to survive.
Worthy had been arrested less than a week earlier on suspicion of drug possession and resisting arrest, but was later released from custody. Police said the suspect was also wanted for three other armed robberies this year.
Adams said the handling of Worthy's previous charges shows a failure in the city's criminal justice system.
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“While we are grateful for their recovery, a repeat offender who previously pled guilty to manslaughter and has been arrested seven times since 2021 is free tonight to commit two robberies and his final… I also feel angry that he shot and killed two people,” he wrote on social media.
Fox News Digital's Christina Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
