Council Member Robert Holden is calling on Mayor Eric Adams to demand the resignation of Judge Edward Daniels following the shooting of a police officer and an innocent bystander on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Judge Daniels, who was appointed to Criminal Court by the Mayor in April, is facing criticism for his role in the release of career criminal Gary Worthy. Holden argues that Daniels should be held accountable for allowing Worthy, a repeat offender, to remain free.
Earlier, Daniels denied a request from the District Attorney’s office to detain Worthy and later rejected a parole violation request after Worthy broke parole conditions.
Worthy, who had been released from prison on lifetime parole, had an extensive criminal record, including 17 prior arrests for offenses such as robbery, burglary, and murder. Last week, he went on to shoot 103rd Precinct Police Officer Rich Wong and an innocent bystander during a series of armed robberies in Jamaica.
Wong suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh during a shootout with Worthy and ended up killing the criminal. The officer was released from hospital the following day.
“Mayor Adams called Judge Daniels one of the best and brightest and said public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity,” said Holden.
“Yet Daniels’ decisions have shown a stunning lack of judgment. 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.”
Worthy had been arrested less than a week before the incident for alleged narcotics possession and resisting arrest but was later released from custody. He was also wanted for three other gunpoint robberies this year, police said.
Mayor Adams stated that the handling of Worthy’s previous charges marked a failure of the city’s criminal justice system.
“While we are grateful that they will recover, we are also angry that a repeat offender who previously pled guilty to manslaughter and had 7 arrests since 2021 was free to commit two robberies tonight and ultimately shoot two people,” Adams wrote on social media.
