Police in New York on Tuesday arrested four men who are held responsible for the death of American actor Michael K. Williams. The actor, who broke through to the general public with his role of Omar Little in The Wire, died last September after a drug overdose.
According to the police, CCTV footage shows that the day before his death, Williams was supplied with fentanyl-added drugs from the four arrested dealers. Remains of the deadly mix of heroin and fentanyl were found in the bedroom of his apartment, where Williams was found dead by a relative.
Public health crisis
According to US prosecutor Damian Williams, the four dealers are being prosecuted for causing a “public health crisis” in the US with their contaminated drugs. “It has to stop. Deadly opioids like fentanyl and heroin don’t care about who you are or what you’ve accomplished. They are terribly addictive and only lead to tragedies.”
At first, the coroner labeled Williams’ death a “tragic accident”. But according to court documents, Williams’ death was a direct result of the drugs sold to him by the drug gang that has been operating in the Brooklyn borough since at least August 2020.
Even after Williams’ tragic death, the men continued to sell the fentanyl-cut heroin in broad daylight amid apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan, knowing Williams had died from it, authorities said.
Award Winning Actor
Williams never made a secret of his personal struggle with drugs during his life. Despite that dark side, he won many awards for his acting. He was nominated a total of five times for an Emmy Award. The death of the actors therefore caused a lot of stir among his fans, also in the Netherlands.
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