A 24-year-old transgender New Yorker has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in the stomach with a knife as he waited in line to buy lunch.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) identified the victim as Ray Hodge III, a 36-year-old mail carrier and father of two. Police say an argument broke out while the two men were in line, and the man suffered multiple stab wounds. He was on duty at the time of the attack.
The suspect was identified as Jaire Cruz, also known as Alvin. Video shows police escorting Mr. Cruz from the NYPD's 28th Precinct on Thursday.
The 6-foot-4 suspect's face was hidden behind a sweatshirt, and Mr. Cruz did not respond to reporters' barrage of questions.
Suspect who stabbed postal worker to death while waiting in line at New York deli has history of knife violence
Hyia Cruz, 24, was handcuffed and transported from the 28th Precinct by the NYPD after being charged with stabbing a USPS officer to death in a deli while on duty in Harlem. (Kyle Mazza/SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
According to the New York Post, a fight broke out over a spot in line, during which Cruz spat in the victim's face and thrust a knife into his stomach.
The attack happened at a deli on Lenox Street in Harlem around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Police found Hodge with multiple stab wounds to his torso, neck and arms, and he was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
New York City police arrested in connection with stabbing death of post office worker
Hodge's colleagues at the USPS remembered him on social media as a “great and kind person.”
The New York City Police Department has charged Jaire Cruz with stabbing a USPS employee to death inside a Harlem deli Thursday afternoon. (Peter Garber)
Cruz has a history of knife violence, including robbery.
Mr. Cruz was scheduled to appear in court for arraignment later today.
As the case in New York evolves, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service, is asking anyone with additional information about this incident to call investigators at 1-877-876-2455. There is.
The New York City Police Department has charged Jaire Cruz with stabbing a USPS employee to death inside a Harlem deli Thursday afternoon. (Peter Garber)
“The Postal Inspection Service views issues related to the safety and health of postal workers as a top priority,” a USPIS spokesperson told FOX News Digital. “We are working diligently with the New York City Police Department on this investigation.”
The killing came months after Chicago police arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the ambush and murder of a mail carrier in the Windy City. Octavia Redmond, 48, was killed on July 19 after she allegedly jumped out of a stolen SUV and opened fire, according to USPIS.
She was also on duty at the time.
Jair Cruz is accused of stabbing a USPS employee multiple times during an argument at a Harlem deli where the mail carrier was waiting to buy lunch. (Kyle Mazza/SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
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“We know we have to keep delivering every day. That's our motto: Come rain, sleet or snow, we'll go,” said Elise Foster, one of our co-workers. FOX 32 Chicago at that time. “We don't handle bullets. We can't do it.”
Fox News' Louis Casiano and Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
