Lieutenant
Alison Russo-Elling, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staffer stabbed to
death Thursday afternoon, was grabbing food when she was attacked at 21th
Avenue and 41st Street. The alleged assailant, whose name has not
been released yet is in police custody. Police say the suspect is 34 years old.
He was arrested after a Good Samaritan chased him. The accused barricaded himself
inside his nearby apartment.

Also Read | Who was Alison Russo-Elling?

A Fire
Department of New York (FDNY) source told New York Post that initial
investigation does not show any prior contact between Russo-Ellis and the
suspect.

Laura
Kavanaugh, FDNY acting commissioner, called the described the attack on Russo-Ellis
as “barbaric and unprovoked”.

What we
know about the suspect in Russo-Ellis killing:

Police are yet
to release the name of the suspect who allegedly stabbed Russo-Ellis multiple
times leading to her death at Mount Sinai Hospital. The 34-year-old is being
held at the 114th Precinct, the New York Post reported. Charges have
not been announced.

A
50-year-old woman named Camilla Groth, who lives near the scene of crime, told
New York Post that the accused was a “loner” and “weird” and that she had
noticed him for the first time when he had moved into the area two years ago.

“Loner…Something
off but completely non-violent…I’ve passed him on these side streets like here
or over there…I typically go to the other side of the street. I didn’t want to
meet him or say hi or anything,” Groth said.

She added
that she’d never seen the suspect with any other person.

Russo-Ellis,
the EMS staff he allegedly killed, was one of the first responders during the
September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The 61-year-old was a
department veteran. New York City Mayor Eric Adams tweeted, “We lost a hero
today. Alison Russo-Elling was a 25-year veteran of FDNY EMS. She was murdered
on duty in an unprovoked attack. Her assailant is in custody. Lt. Russo-Elling
gave so much for our city. Please keep her family and the FDNY in your prayers
tonight.”