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The Daily Signal

‘Five Bullets:’ CNN Legal Analyst Explains the Subway Vigilante Case That Split New York

The Daily Signal

The Daily Signal

Government, Daily News, News, Politics

4.81.4K Ratings

🗓️ 31 January 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When four black teenagers approached Bernhard Goetz on the New York City subway in 1984, he shot each them “in succession” for fear they were about to mug him. In an era of high crime, many New Yorkers hailed Goetz as a “hero” for doing what they wished they could do, explains Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst and author of “Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ‘80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation.”   “New York City in the 1980s was broke and mismanaged… People just generally felt scared… As a result, when there was this somewhat vigilante act, a lot of people felt in New York [that] this guy finally did what needed to be done because the police can’t keep us safe.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:28.4

I'm sure listeners are going to disagree with this rendering, but I will tell, I've spent a lot of time saying this.

0:33.3

Here's what we know for a fact.

0:36.0

There's a downtown two express train in New York City.

0:39.6

There were four guys who were acting up on it.

0:42.7

Burrard Gets got on on 14th Street, and within about a moment, one of the guys approached him,

0:48.5

and either asked for money, hey, sir, can I have $5?

0:52.8

Or demanded money, give me $5. Gets felt at that moment that he was about to be mugged, pulled out his handgun. He had an unlicensed Smith & Wesson revolver, shot all of them in succession, one, two, three, four. The other thing that's not in dispute, he then rents a car, drives up to New Hampshire, hides out for

1:11.1

a few days, ultimately turns himself in.

1:13.6

A lot of people felt in New York that this guy finally did what needed to be done because

1:18.1

the police can't keep us safe and then therefore this citizen has sort of done what I wish

1:23.7

in my heart that I could do, but I just couldn't.

1:26.8

We're joined at the Daily

1:27.5

Signal today by Elliott Williams. You might recognize him for all of our Daily Signal fans who

1:32.7

wake up early on Friday mornings to watch me on CNN this morning. Elliot is usually sitting

1:37.8

around the table with me. He does the lawyer up segment and oftentimes is, uh, is the go-to

1:44.0

person for Audi-Kor Cornish whenever she has a

1:46.7

legal question. And that's much to my delight because I'm no lawyer. And so it's great to have

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