'I am going to kill you': Man charged with murder in knife attacks that killed 2 homeless people in New York City subway system

John Bacon, USA TODAY
·2 min read

A Brooklyn man was charged with murder Sunday after a string of brutal knife attacks targeting homeless people left two dead and two injured in New York's subway system.

Police said at least three of the attacks Friday and Saturday appeared to be connected. Rigoberto Lopez, 21, from Brooklyn, faces one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, police said.

The attacks took place on the A train, or Eighth Avenue express line. Saturday night, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea pledged 500 additional officers would patrol the subway system.

"We will immediately commence a surge of officers to control both above and below ground," Shea said, with a goal of ensuring that "everyone that rides on our transit system on a daily basis not only is safe but, just as importantly, feels safe."

The first incident took place Friday morning, when a 67-year-old man with a walker survived being stabbed in the knee and buttocks on a train platform in Upper Manhattan. The assailant shouted, "I am going to kill you."

Police said they were not certain whether that attack was related to three more within a few hours of each other Friday night and early Saturday.

Police patrol the A line subway train bound to Inwood on Feb. 13. The NYPD deployed an additional 500 officers into the subway system after deadly attacks in New York.
Police patrol the A line subway train bound to Inwood on Feb. 13. The NYPD deployed an additional 500 officers into the subway system after deadly attacks in New York.

A 40-year-old man was found dead inside an idling A train in Queens at 11:19 p.m. Friday. A 44-year-old woman was found with multiple knife wounds in a train in Manhattan about two hours later. She was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital where she was pronounced dead. A short time later, another man was wounded as he slept on the steps at a Manhattan subway station.

Subway ridership is down drastically in New York because of the pandemic, but violent crime has persisted.

Saturday, Sarah Feinberg, interim president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s subway agency, and Tony Utano, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, called the attacks "outrageous and unacceptable."

“We have been calling on the city to add more police to the system, and to do more to assist those who desperately need mental health assistance," the statement said. "The time for action is now.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York City subway knife attacks: 4 homeless people stabbed; 2 die