Fall River police say William Acosta Abreu is accused of destroying a memorial for Diamonte Odom and posting a video of the vandalism. Authorities released details of the May 18 incident, describe multiple warrants, and warn the suspect is dangerous as they as
Fall River police are searching for William Acosta Abreu, accused of filming himself demolishing a memorial dedicated to a young man killed in a 2023 shooting.
The department says the warning came on May 18, when police were notified that a memorial on County Street had been destroyed. The memorial had been created in memory of Diamonte Odom, 23, who police say was killed in May 2023 by a gunshot wound to the left eye.
Police say they quickly identified the alleged vandal as Abreu, 20, pointing to “easily recognizable tattoos.” They also wrote that Abreu has multiple warrants out for his arrest.
In a video released by the department, Abreu is identified by police as the person smashing glass candles and damaging the memorial site. The video shows the act taking place at 2:27 a.m., when officers say no one was around.
Fall River police included the footage online but said they edited out the expletives. “We included the video with the expletives edited out although it does not take a literary scholar to fill in the blanks,” the department said.
Police characterized Abreu as dangerous and said he also poses a threat to what they described as “a defenseless memorial site in the wee hours of the night when no one is around.”
The department also described a recent attempt to stop a vehicle carrying Abreu. Last week, Fall River police officers tried to pull over a car in which Abreu was riding. Police say the car sped off and nearly hit an officer.
Authorities asked anyone with information about Abreu’s location to call Fall River police at (508) 676-8511 or (508) 672-TIPS. Police said callers can remain anonymous.
Fall River police William Acosta Abreu memorial vandalism Diamonte Odom County Street memorial gun violence victim Massachusetts crime warrants