A New York City man, identified as Liyong Ye, has been charged with murder and other offenses in connection with a horrific hammer attack that occurred in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
The attack resulted in the death of a mother and left her two children critically injured.
Also read | Philadelphia double shooting: 19-year-old shot dead, one person injured at Montrose Street
Who is Liyong Ye?
Liyong Ye is 47 years old. He has been charged with multiple serious offenses, including murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
As per media reports, he was the roommate of the victim, Zhao Zhao, and her children. This incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. on Wednesday in an apartment located on 52nd Street in Sunset Park. Upon arriving at the second-story apartment within the 14-story building, NYPD officers found a 43-year-old mother, her 5-year-old son, and her 3-year-old daughter inside. All three victims were in critical condition, with severe head injuries.
Following the attack, the three victims were promptly transported to a nearby hospital. Tragically, the mother was pronounced dead at the hospital. Law enforcement acted swiftly and managed to apprehend the suspect, Ye, as he was attempting to leave the apartment building. At the time of his arrest, Ye was reportedly covered in blood.
Police officials initially believed that the victims had been stabbed, but upon further investigation, it was determined that a hammer had been used in the brutal and devastating attack later they retrieved a hammer at the scene which was used in the incident.
Also read | Who is Thomas Varvera Jr.? Man allegedly shot police officer in Troy, Missouri
State Assembly Member Lester Chang in a statement after the incident said, “It’s very rare in our community to have this kind of violence. And back home in China, they’re Fukanese. They live in close quarters, close compact quarters so they’re used to it. Something had to trigger for the man to cross that moral line.”
