NYC judge who let rapper gang member, 16, who shot cop free has been removed from criminal cases

A lenient Bronx judge who released a teen gang member who shot an NYPD officer has been removed from criminal trials after intense criticism of her wakefulness.

Supreme Court Justice Naita Semaj is expected to make the silent move from criminal court to civil court after tomorrow The city.

Semaj drew backlash from government officials and law enforcement for her leniency in court cases, including when she returned charges against 16-year-old Camrin Williams, a NYC rapper accused of shooting NYPD officer Kaseem Pennant, 27, in the leg in January 2022 while being searched.

Williams, who is a gang member and raps as C Blu, was on probation for a 2020 gun possession charge at the time.

Charges against the 16-year-old were dropped because Semaj insisted police officers had ‘no apparent reason’ to search him and discredited the accounts of arresting officers.

Semaj has drawn backlash from government officials and law enforcement for her leniency in court rulings, including when she dropped charges against 16-year-old Camrin Williams. The teen was fighting with officers when a gun went off and a single bullet struck the officer, hitting Williams in the groin

Police say Semaj has a history of taking it easy on teen offenders and her interpretation of Williams’ arrest was dead wrong.

When the charges against the rapper were dropped, Semaj argued that prosecutors could not prove that Pennant suffered “significant bodily harm” despite being shot.

Williams battled police officers in January when they responded to reports of unrest, refusing to obey their orders to remove his hands from his pockets.

He started fighting with one of the officers and during the fight the gun went off and a single bullet hit and wounded Pennant and hit Williams in the groin.

Semaj took over the handling of juvenile cases from her veteran colleague Justice Denis Boyle last January. Boyle had sparked widespread condemnation by allowing teen suspects charged with serious crimes to be released on bail.

During her first few weeks as chair of youth affairs, Semaj has shown herself to be as lenient as her predecessor by letting two 17-year-olds walk free.

Braulio Garcia, 17, was arrested in January on charges of murder, manslaughter, robbery and gang assault in connection with the death of Good Samaritan Roland Hueston, who was hit by a train while trying to run another man off the tracks. to rescue.

Prosecutors had asked that Garcia be held on bail, but Semaj ordered his supervised release a month later.

Sharif Mitchell, 17, was charged with attempted murder for allegedly opening fire on a subway platform and shooting four times at a 19-year-old man.

Semaj released Mitchell under his own authority, even though another judge had ordered him to be held on $30,000 bail at his arraignment.

NYPD Officer Kaseem Pennant, 27, in the leg back in January 2022. His injuries were not life-threatening

Officers applauded Pennant as he was wheeled out of hospital last year

Semaj took over the handling of juvenile cases from her veteran colleague Justice Denis Boyle last January. Justice Semaj-Williams (right)

Semaj was born in New York but grew up in Jamaica. She returned to New York to attend Lehman College in 2000 with a degree in social work. Jamaicans. com reported.

She then continued her education after working for a foster care agency and enrolled at St. John’s University of Law.

After graduating, she was hired as an attorney with the Administration for Children’s Services and later became a court attorney with the New York State Unified Court System in 2010.

In 2018, Semaj won a bench seat on the New York Civil Court and last November successfully ran for election as a justice of the Bronx Supreme Court.

She then assumed her current position in 2022.