Two men were killed and a woman seriously injured in an “unprovoked” knife attack in New York City on Monday morning, authorities said.
The suspect, a 51-year-old homeless man, was arrested by police after a witness confirmed his identity. new york post reported Words from NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney at an afternoon press conference.
“Today we have three innocent New Yorkers who were victims of horrific, horrific assaults. They're just living their lives,” Kenney said. said reporters. “This is a clear example of how our criminal justice and mental health systems continue to fail New Yorkers.”
The two people who died were a 36-year-old construction worker and a 68-year-old man who was fishing, and both were stabbed.
A 36-year-old woman was also stabbed multiple times and remains in critical condition in hospital.
Several people who witnessed the attacks, which reportedly occurred about two hours apart on different Manhattan streets, helped police track down the suspect.
“one time [Officer Robert Garvey] “We received a tip that this suspect may be involved in a crime, thought it might be a robbery, and took him into custody. And obviously at this point information was being passed over the radio and a team of detectives became involved. “It will be,” Kenney said. “We started putting the pieces together and realized it was part of three attacks that happened.” [this] morning.
“At this point, these attacks appear to be unfounded. He just walked up to them and started attacking them with a knife.”
Mayor Eric Adams (Democratic Party) I was grateful Garvey saved my life.
“If Officer Garvey hadn't been there, this random act of violence, this person probably would have continued that random act of violence,” he said. “So he saved a fellow New Yorker's life.”
The suspect is a resident of the Bellevue Men's Shelter and has a long rap sheet in his possession, officials said. post.
The man, whose name has not been released by law enforcement, is said to have been arrested five times for robbery since December 2023.
He was also arrested in May on suspicion of assaulting a correctional officer, sources said. post.
“He pleaded not guilty and was released on non-monetary bail, according to court records,” the newspaper reported. “He also pleaded guilty to robbery and assault charges in three separate incidents in recent months, for which he was sentenced to prison.”
“There are some real questions for us to consider as to why he was on the street. He has severe mental health issues that need to be examined and that's what we're looking to find in the investigation.” “It's a thing,” Adams said.
It is unclear what charges the suspect will face in the future.
