A murder suspect accused of beating a New York City mother to death and leaving her body with her 7-year-old daughter allegedly walked out of an NYPD station after trying to surrender, according to his attorney and the New York Post.
uncertain
suspect → accuse → attorney
Tiliek Shamel Thompson, 41, went to the 33rd Precinct stationhouse in Washington Heights around 5 a.m. on September 11, accompanied by his two cousins, as police investigated the killing of Lovay Williams, 27.
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police → go → Williams
However, he was not successfully taken into custody until September 12, when he was charged with murder, assault, strangulation and acting in manner injurious to a child.
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he → take → child
Williams was found dead inside her apartment on 156th Street on September 6, suffering trauma to her face and neck, according to the Post.
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Williams → find → Post
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
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She → pronounce → scene
Her 7-year-old daughter was also inside the apartment but was found unharmed.
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daughter → find → apartment
Williams and Thompson were dating, relatives told the Post.
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relatives → date → Post
Days later, Thompson and his cousins went to the station because they understood police were looking for him, his attorney, Neville Onielle Dexter Mitchell, told the Post.
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attorney → go → Post
“His two cousins said, ‘You’re looking for him,’” Mitchell said, according to the Post.
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Mitchell → say → Post
The officer working the desk allegedly responded, “I just came back from vacation.
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I → work → vacation
Nobody’s here,” Mitchell said.
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Mitchell → ’ → ?
However, an NYPD spokeswoman disputed that account to the Post after reviewing audio and video from the encounter.
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spokeswoman → dispute → encounter
She said the family did not tell the officer that police were looking for Thompson and that the officer misunderstood the group’s reason for coming to the station.
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officer → say → station
The officer reportedly believed the three were members of Williams’ family and relayed that information to a sergeant.
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three → believe → sergeant
The officer's reference to being on vacation was meant to explain that he had been away when Williams was killed, according to the NYPD spokeswoman.
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Williams → mean → spokeswoman
The officer then gave one of Thompson’s cousins a phone number for homicide detectives and allowed the group to leave.
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group → give → detectives
Thompson, who police sources reportedly identified as a person of interest in Williams’ killing, later returned to police and successfully surrendered.
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sources → identify → police
He was charged with murder.
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He → charge → murder
The NYPD has acknowledged that the encounter was mishandled, according to the Post.
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encounter → acknowledge → Post
The Independent has contacted the NYPD for comment.
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Independent → contact → comment
The alleged handling of Thompson’s attempted surrender has drawn criticism from current and former NYPD officers, who said officers should have detained him or contacted homicide detectives even if investigators were not immediately available.
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investigators → allege → detectives
“If he went there and said he was there to turn himself in, they should have investigated,” a senior police officer told the Post on the condition of anonymity.
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officer → go → anonymity
“I’d say you should hold the guy and investigate further,” the officer added.
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officer → say → guy
“Even if detectives aren’t there, you can call them.
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you → call → them
I’m sure they’d love to take a homicide collar.”
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they → ’m → collar
Former NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar similarly said officers should have contacted detectives working the overnight shift, known as nightwatch.
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officers → say → nightwatch
“You got a homicide suspect turning himself in, so you detain him until the squad gets there,” he said.
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he → got → him
“I’m not surprised if they turned him away.
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they → ’m → him
We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
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We → scrap → barrel
The incident comes as the NYPD works to increase its ranks after years of recruitment challenges.
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NYPD → come → challenges
The department hired 4,056 new officers in 2025, the largest number hired in a single year, according to the Post.
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department → hire → Post
The NYPD also lowered some hiring requirements, including reducing the number of college credits required from 60 to 24.
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NYPD → lower → 24
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