Gangbanger claims he had ‘no other choice’ as he’s sentenced for sparking mass shooting at NYC block party
The gangbanger who fatally shot a man at a Brooklyn block party — sparking a gunfight between rival groups that left 11 innocent bystanders wounded — claimed he had “no other choice” as he was slammed with more than three decades behind bars for the bloodshed on Wednesday.
Kyle Williams, 23, deflected blame for the fatal shooting of Jason Pagan, 38, at the Old Timer’s Day celebration on July 27, 2019, which prosecutors said ignited the gunfight at the Brownsville Playground.
“There’s no way of going around it – me and my brother’s life were in serious danger. It left me no other choice than to react,” Williams — identified by sources as a Bloods gang member — said in Brooklyn Supreme Court before he was sentenced to 32 1/2 years to life in prison.
“I honestly believe faced with the things I was facing anyone in my predicament would have done the same exact thing,” he said in a scripted five-minute speech to the court.
Williams — who pleaded not guilty in November 2019 — was convicted of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment on April 20 following a jury trial.
He offered brief condolences to Pagan’s family on Wednesday before spending most of his speech rambling on about how his actions were justified because he had felt threatened.
Williams broke local code during Old Timer’s Day, an annual neighborhood bash that had been violence-free for 56 years before the shooting.
“It was supposed to be a peaceful event which I think it’s very disturbing aside from the victims here, and what happened, is that the defendant is from Brownsville and knows how important that event is,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Daphney Gachette told the court.
Prosecutors said that Williams got into an argument with Pagan, 38, as the celebration was winding down, pulling a gun and shooting the dad of two.
The case went unsolved for months until the NYPD caught a break when they released video of two women wanted for questioning — which caused tips to fly in. Police said after Williams’ arrest that he had given a “full confession” to sparking the summertime mass shooting.
Williams’ address to the court on Wednesday left Pagan’s family members disgusted — including his mother Bernice Perez and daughter Jailyn Pagan, who abruptly left the hearing midway through the convicted killer’s apology.
During a victim impact statement, Pagan’s daughter said she hoped prison would make Williams become a man instead of a “coward.”
“You killed my dad before I graduated, you killed my dad before I had children,” Jailyn Pagan told the court.
Defense attorney Ed Friedman, in a 10-minute speech, tried to paint Williams as a “decent human being” — arguing he should receive a minimum sentence of 15 years to life.
But Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Hecht was left unconvinced. The judge said he was initially fooled by Williams’ tears during a taped confession, but now believes, “the only person Williams feels bad about is himself.”
“The lack of remorse that he demonstrated in the video he repeats today. He has not presented any meaningful response for his actions,” Hecht said before handing down the sentence.
Following the sentencing, Pagan’s family members — wearing light blue, the same color Pagan wore on the day he was killed — gathered in the hallway and embraced each other.
“What he was saying was just empty words. To me, it didn’t mean anything — nothing to me. He was just doing it for the courts,” said Perez, who has now lost two sons to gun violence.
“I felt cold and nothing [when he was speaking.] That’s why I put on my jacket.”
Williams was convicted of second-degree murder following a trial on April 20, 2023.
Pagan was identified by law enforcement sources at the time as a Bloods gang member who was on parole for gun possession.
In a statement, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez vowed that senseless gun violence will not be tolerated in Brooklyn.
“A beloved community celebration held each year turned tragic when this defendant opened fire in the middle of a crowd,” Gonzalez said.
“Senseless gun violence that puts innocent people in harm’s way has destroyed too many lives and will not be tolerated in Brooklyn. As a result of this defendant’s outrageous actions a man lost his life, and 11 other people were shot and wounded. He has now been held accountable.”
Friedman declined to comment on the sentencing.
