Two men have been killed and a woman critically wounded in a stabbing spree in Manhattan, New York. The suspect, not identified by the authorities as of the time of publication, is reportedly a resident of Bellevue Men’s Shelter—described by local media as a “tinder box of newly arrived migrants, unhinged vagrants, and sex offenders” in 2022. Police describe him as a Hispanic, aged 51, who “appears to be undomiciled,” with a lengthy arrest record.
The seemingly “random” attacks began at roughly 8:20 AM when the alleged killer started a confrontation with a 30-year-old Hispanic construction worker on West 19th Street near Eighth Avenue and stabbed him in the abdomen. Two hours later, the suspect started a second confrontation with an Asian man in his late sixties on East 30th Street, stabbing him multiple times. Finally, he targeted a 36-year-old black woman at East 42nd Street and First Avenue at around 11 AM, stabbing her in the chest.
The men died of their injuries at Bellevue Hospital, while the woman is, as of the time of publication, at Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition.
Bellevue Men’s Shelter has previously been described as a “ticking time bomb” by the New York Post. In 2022, the former psychiatric hospital was hosting an “explosive amalgam” of poorly vetted migrants seeking asylum, paroled ex-convicts, and often mentally ill homeless people.
The homeless accused the migrants of stealing and “getting treated better than we do,” while the migrants complained the homeless were “dangerous” and openly abusing drugs.
Locals told the press that shelter residents were stashing “knives, needles, and other contraband” around the neighborhood, which had become “really, really scary.”
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— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2024
This story is developing…
