A Brooklyn judge is taking heat for freeing a gang member who was arrested after police officers said they saw him throw a loaded gun away.
The incident was caught on video, according to police, who said
they saw Ismail Abraham throw a stolen .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver loaded with five bullets to the ground, New York Post reported.
Judge Ellen Edwards rejected the prosecution’s request to set bail at $25,000 for Abraham, who is 18 with multiple prior arrests. Instead, Edwards gave Abraham an 8 p.m. curfew and ordered him to write a report on gun violence in the community. Abraham is a known member of the “G Stone Crips” gang, according to TheEpochTimes.
Judge Edwards’ decision was controversial on and off of social media.
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“It just goes to show you how out of touch these judges are,” a retired NYPD detective who once worked in the neighborhood told New York Post.
“Too many blk men in prison,” Cara Levine tweeted.
Court spokesman Lucian Chalfen told The Post that Edwards’s decision was “well within her discretion.”
Edwards was elected as a judge to Brooklyn Civil Court in 2017 and promised court reform. “As your Judge, I will continue to be a voice for justice, fairness, and equality under the law,” she said on a campaign page. “All who enter my courtroom will be treated with professionalism and respect.”
On Twitter, Keith Lawrence (@NeufKeithNove) suggested the punishment was way too lenient: “Want to get guns off the street make a 10 year mandatory for illegal possession that will curb it.”
