Two people were killed and two others injured after several stabbings at New York subway stations.
Dermot Shea, New York Police Commissioner, said in a news conference On Saturday afternoon, there were four separate incidents of people being “cut with a sharp object” at the A-line subway system.
Shea said another 500 officers will be deployed throughout New York to patrol the subway system.
“The conclusion the public needs to know is this: they can expect to see a very large footprint of uniformed officers throughout New York City, whether they take a train or a platform, “Shea said. “They will be there as long as possible to make sure people feel safe.”
Kathleen O’Reilly, head of transit for NYPD, said the first attack took place at 11:20 a.m. Friday when a 67-year-old man was stabbed by an unknown man at 181st Street Station. He was later treated in an area hospital.
Twelve hours later, at 23:29 on Friday, another adult man was pronounced dead in the A-train at Mottlaan-Far Rockaway station. He sustained stab wounds to his neck and torso, O’Reilly said.
At around 01:15 on Saturday morning, an unconscious 44-year-old woman was found in a train at Inwood 207th Street station with ‘multiple stab wounds’. O’Reilly said she was moved to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
About 20 minutes later, Saturday at 1:28 a.m., police responded to a call at 659 W. 181st St., where they found a 43-year-old man at 181st St. O’Reilly said he was treated in a hospital and is in a stable condition.
O’Reilly said three of the incidents “appear to be connected”, adding that the detective agency “is investigating the possibility that all four could have been committed by one individual.”
Deputy Chief Brian McGee, who commands the Manhattan Detective Bureau, said the incidents appeared to be unresolved and that all of the victims were homeless.
McGee said police have “not much” about the offender at this point.