An employee of a Brooklyn homeless shelter was stabbed and killed right outside the facility on Thursday night, police said as they continued to look for a suspect on Friday.
NYPD officials said the 35-year-old employee, who has not yet been identified, was attacked in front of the former Days Inn hotel around 6:15 p.m. on East New York Avenue near Dean Street in Brownsville.
When officers arrived, the man was lying in the lobby with stab wounds to his neck and abdomen, according to police. Officials said he was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the NYPD, the man did not work for the city’s Department of Homeless Services but rather for a private contractor. Police did not say who the contractor was, and the homeless department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials described the suspect as about 6’1” and 225 pounds, and said he was wearing all black, including a black ski mask and baseball cap. He was last seen fleeing north on foot on Sackman Street.
Police on Friday morning said they were working to notify the victim’s family.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the city Department of Homeless Services called the killing a "horrific tragedy."
"Even though this incident took place outside of the shelter premises, we are working closely with the authorities to support the investigation and ensure the perpetrator is swiftly brought to justice,” the statement said.
Murders have nearly tripled so far this year through Dec. 22 in the NYPD’s 73rd Precinct, which includes Brownsville and Ocean Hill, with 20 reported, NYPD data shows. That’s compared to seven in the same time frame last year.
On Dec. 17, 34-year-old Najee Berry was stabbed and killed about a half-mile away from where Thursday’s homicide took place. Police have not yet made any arrests in that case.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
