A deadly encounter occurred outside a Brooklyn homeless shelter last night, as an employee was brutally stabbed to death, causing the New York Police Department to launch an investigation into the incident. The attack took place around 6:15 p.m. at the former Days Inn hotel on East New York Avenue near Dean Street in the neighborhood of Brownsville, officials disclosed, Gothamist reported.
The victim, a 35-year-old male whose name has not been made public yet, sustained fatal stab wounds to his neck and abdomen and was discovered in the facility's lobby before being transported to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, as per the NYPD's statement; the man was reportedly employed by a private contractor and not directly by the city's Department of Homeless Services, according to NBC New York.
Efforts to identify and apprehend the assailant are underway. The suspect is described as approximately 6'1" tall, weighing 225 pounds, and wearing all black, including a black ski mask and baseball cap. The individual was last seen heading north on Sackman Street. The NYPD has stated that the search is challenging due to a lack of immediate leads, and the suspect remains at large.
While police work to notify the victim's relatives, the NYPD's 73rd Precinct, which includes Brownsville and Ocean Hill, has seen a notable increase in homicides, with 20 reported this year compared to seven by the same date last year, according to NYPD data, as reported by Gothamist.
