Four men have been charged in relation to the death of The Wire star Michael K Williams.
The actor, best known as Omar Little in the critically acclaimed HBO series, passed away in Brooklyn on September 6 last year. Williams also appeared in a number of other shows, including Boardwalk Empire and Community. Gamers perhaps knew him best as Kimble "Irish" Graves, a popular character from Battlefield 4.
Williams' death was ruled an accident by medical examiners at the time. However, an investigation conducted by the New York City police department has resulted in the arrest of four suspects.
“Michael K Williams, a prominent actor and producer, tragically overdosed in his New York City apartment from fentanyl-laced heroin,” US attorney Damian Williams said in a press release viewed (via The Guardian).
“Today, along with our law enforcement partners at the NYPD, we announce the arrests of members of a drug crew, including Irvin Cartagena, the man who we allege sold the deadly dose of drugs to Michael K Williams. This is a public health crisis. And it has to stop.”
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan confirmed that the suspects had been under surveillance even before Williams' fatal overdose.
An informant working with the NYPD had been buying heroin near Williams' apartment, court papers reveal. An undercover officer also picked some up just a few days before the actor purchased his own dose.
New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the detectives involved “lived this case, never relenting in their investigation until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K Williams and his family.”
The charges against the four men, named as Irvin Cartagena, Hector Robles, Luis Cruz and Carlos Macci, come with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.
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