A woman in New York City was followed into her Manhattan apartment by a man who stabbed her to death, according to the city’s police department, in one of the latest attacks against people of Asian descent.
Christina Yuna Lee, 35, walked into her building on Chrystie Street in Chinatown on Sunday when a man from the street followed her into the apartment.
The surveillance footage accessed by the police shows the man, identified as Assamad Nash, 25, catching the door behind him and entering the premises at around 4.30am in the morning.
Lee, who entered the apartment without realising a man was following her, was later found dead in her bathtub “bleeding from multiple wounds to the body” a report by the New York Times said, quoting police sources. A neighbour who heard her screams called the police.
The police said the accused tried to escape out of a back window but he was unsuccessful and was arrested. He had cuts and lacerations and was taken to Bellevue Hospital.
The police said Lee does not seem to have any prior connection with the accused who has a history of violent attacks, including punching a senior citizen over a minor argument.
While the police have refrained from calling the incident a hate crime, the tragic murder is one of the latest incidents of attacks against Asians in New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams condemned the stabbing: “We stand with our Asian community today”.
“While the suspect who committed this heinous act is now in custody, the conditions that created him remain,” Mr Adams said in an official statement. “The mission of this administration is clear: We won’t let this violence go unchecked.”
Leaders of Asian American descent also gathered on Sunday with Manhattan borough president Mark Levine.
“We are demanding action. Our broken mental health system must be fixed. We have to address the real fear in Chinatown and beyond,” Mr Levine tweeted.
