Police are on the hunt for a suspect who stabbed and killed a man outside a Hell’s Kitchen homeless service center on Thursday morning.
Photo by Dean Moses
Police are on the hunt for a suspect who stabbed and killed a man outside a Hell’s Kitchen homeless service center on Thursday morning.
According to police sources, the violence unfolded at around 4:47 a.m. on April 23 in front of 771 9th Ave., near West 52nd Street.
Officers from the Midtown North Precinct rushed to the scene after a 911 call reported an assault in progress.
When they arrived, the cops discovered an unidentified man with multiple stab wounds to the torso, as well as a second victim, a 34-year-old man stabbed several times in the abdomen.
EMS rushed both men to Bellevue Hospital, where the unidentified man was pronounced dead. The 34-year-old victim is expected to survive.
Police say the suspect was last seen wearing a black jacket and blue pants, and fleeing on a bicycle pedaling southbound on 9th Avenue.
Surveillance footage obtained by amNew York shows several individuals standing in the area with bikes prior to the attack. One of the individuals seen in the video was later spotted wearing the same hat that was later discarded at the crime scene.
A hat with a wrench inside of it, by the side of a bike lock, was also spotted at the scene.
The murder happened just outside a drop-in center serving as a place for homeless New Yorkers to obtain basic services, such as a place to shower, change clothing, and have a warm meal. Sources familiar with the investigation report that the suspect is believed to frequent the facility.
Local residents say that the drop-in center draws a crowd of homeless individuals and delivery drivers who hang out on the sidewalk and smoke marijuana.
“This is the second night in a row I have heard a commotion,” a man who lives next door to the facility told amNewYork. “The night before, I heard yelling.”
A wheelchair-bound woman who identified herself as Seven said she lives in a nearby woman’s shelter and often hangs out on the block where the fatal stabbing took place.
“It’s scary, man, I could have been sitting here when he went around just stabbing people,” Seven said.
Another woman, who gave her name as Lisa, said she is very familiar with the facility as she, too, lives in the shelter system after coming to the Big Apple from Florida.
“The place is a nightmare,” Lisa said.
Dr. Bill Butker of Times Square Church lives in Pennsylvania but frequents the Midtown area where he works with the NYPD for spiritual guidance. He said he was shocked by the murder.
“We just have to pray for the families, the loved ones, for what they’ve been through. We have to pray for revival in the city. It seems like these things happen too often. We need a change,” Butker said.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding the stabbing can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
