Williams Gets Life Sentence for Shooting Phoenix Officer in Head

Essa Williams was sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 shooting of Phoenix Officer Tyler Moldovan, who was shot multiple times, including in the head, while responding to reports of cars doing doughnuts near 19th Avenue and Camelback Road. Williams was convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault after a trial that included Moldovan’s testimony. Accounts differ on the sentence details: one reports two life sentences, while reports give different minimum periods before Williams could be released—25 or 50 years.