A mother was killed and her two young children critically injured after a man attacked them with a hammer in New York City on Wednesday, according to police.
The incident occurred around 3 p.m. at an apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at apress conferenceon Wednesday.
Police responded to a 911 call about an “assault in progress” and discovered the victims — the mother, 43, and her two children, a 5-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl — who “were seriously injured,” Chell said.
FOX 5 New York/Youtube
The children “are fighting for their lives as we speak” after “the horrific, senseless act of violence,” he continued, noting that there was “a language barrier” between the suspect and police.
The NYPD shared a photo of the hammer discovered at the scene onTwitter(now known as X).
According toCBS New York,a man called Liyong Ye, 43, was charged with the murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
The outlet also identified the mother as being called Zhao Zhao.
Her husband — who works in Ohio — usually visits every month and traveled back to New York after the crime, per CBS New York.
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“It’s very rare in our community to have this kind of violence,” State Assembly Lester Chang toldABC 7. “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 suspect “to cross that moral line.”
Adding to the tragedy, Ye’s 9-year-old son watched the gruesome attack unfold, local leaders said, per the outlet.
“The roommate likely got the call from the perpetrator to say come get my son,” New York State Senator Iwen Chu said, per ABC 7.
“We all have to pray for these young kids,” Chang added, per the outlet. “These two young kids fighting for their lives. And I can only imagine what the father has to go through.”
source: people.com
