Two children were stabbed Sunday night in an East New York apartment building elevator. 6-year-old Prince Joshua Avitto was killed when a man stabbed him and his 7-year-old friend Mikayla Capers while they were in an elevator. Mikayla escaped, but was seriously injured.
There were no security cameras to record the attack, but police released a sketch Monday night of the suspected murderer. He is described as a heavy black male, approximately 6 feet tall, between ages 25 and 35. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt. The description points to striking similarities to the suspect of the Friday night murder of 18-year-old Tanaya Grant.
New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told CNN, CNN “The amount of violence we saw in an unusual weekend reinforces the need for an energized police department. We cannot have a city where two children going to get an ice cream are stabbed, one killed and the other fighting for her life. That is not the city of New York that we want to police.”
Nicholas Avitto, father of Prince Joshua Avitto, walked to his son’s school Monday morning, the boy’s backpack in hand. He told Newsday, Newsday “I’m going to miss my beloved baby son. I’m trying to stay strong.”
Police are carrying out an extensive hunt for the suspect of the incident. The NYPD is offering a $12,000 reward for information.