PHOENIX — The man convicted of trying to kill Phoenix police Officer Tyler Moldovan was sentenced Tuesday to two life sentences, with at least 50 years before any possible release, KTAR News reported.
Essa Williams was found guilty in August of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault in the Dec. 14, 2021, shooting near 19th Avenue and Camelback Road. Jurors also convicted him of aggravated assault against Moldovan’s partner, Officer Zachary Johnson.
Moldovan, then nine months on the job, and Johnson were responding to reports of cars doing burnouts when they went to an apartment complex to look for a matching vehicle. Moldovan found Williams hiding behind a short patio wall, and Williams opened fire at close range, according to the report.
Moldovan was shot eight times, including in the head, and spent months in the hospital and in rehabilitation. He addressed the court before the sentence was handed down, ABC15 reported.
“It is amazing that he was not killed,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said at a news conference afterward. She said Williams was on probation for felonies at the time and could not legally have a gun.
Phoenix police Chief Matthew Giordano said the judge “sent a clear message” that anyone who shoots a police officer will be held accountable, and said he has watched Moldovan climb stairs doctors once said he would never climb again.
Three people, including Williams’ mother, pleaded guilty in 2023 to federal charges tied to illegally providing him with firearms, though those guns were not used in the shooting.
Sources: KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Kat Wilcox / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
