Summer violence heats up with weekend subway stabbings

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Summer “officially” began on Wednesday 21st June. Yet days before, the three-day weekend was dampened by New York citywide violence, headlined by multiple subway knife attacks.

As people all over the city attended a variety of Juneteenth and Father’s Day celebrations, a handful of serious crimes marred what was for the most part three days of community and family-focused events.  

Police found Tavon Silver unconscious with knife wounds on a southbound 4 train around the 14th St.-Union Square station. The  32-year-old Bronx man later succumbed to his injuries. Through camera footage, the suspect was identified as a 33-year-old unhoused man who was apprehended this past Monday after police saw him fare-evading at an East Harlem transit stop. The NYPD says an argument led to the killing. 

“It’s incredibly unnerving for riders,” said MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber at the NYPD presser. “It doesn’t feel good to hear about anyone getting hurt in this or attacked in the subway system, especially these kinds of random attacks that’s especially unnerving. And it’s unacceptable. Nobody should feel afraid when going about their business in New York.

“For New Yorkers, transit is like air and water. We need it to survive. It needs to be safe and it needs to feel safe.”

Another attacker slashed three women on the legs through two separate, unprovoked attacks this past Sunday, June 20. The alleged assailant was apprehended on Tuesday.  

“This suspect, now in custody, attempted to sow fear into the hearts of New Yorkers through his brazen actions, but New Yorkers are resilient and will not be intimidated, and the NYPD is always prepared to respond to any situation that comes its way,” said Mayor Eric Adams in an email statement. “I applaud Commissioner Sewell and other members of NYPD leadership for their swift action surging officers into the transit system in the immediate aftermath of these incidents, as well as the eagle-eyed officers who identified and apprehended this individual before he could cause further harm. New Yorkers hope this individual will be held accountable to the furthest extent of the law.”

In response to the recent stabbings, more cops were deployed to the subway platform. The NYPD says they’re here to stay, for now. 

“It continues to today and I want to get this out to the ridership to the public, there are no immediate plans to reduce that infusion,” said NYPD Transit Chief Michael Kemper. “We’re upwards of around 1000 additional cops in the subway system each and every day [starting] over the weekend. And it will continue until further notice.”

He added that the additional police presence will come from both NYPD “straight time” and overtime resources. Kemper also highlighted increased arrests for transit-related misdemeanors like fair evasion and disorderly conduct, which he believed straphangers would “relish.” But those arrested for such crimes are traditionally and overwhelmingly Black and brown New Yorkers, which police critics have regularly pointed to when questioning whether banned stop-and-frisk practices are truly gone.

The stabbings coincide with the New York City summer, as correlations between traditionally unfortunate upticks in violence and rising temperatures. Between this past Friday to Sunday, the NYPD reports 16 shootings citywide. On Monday, a 16-year-old was fatally shot in Bed-Stuy. Gun violence was also prevalent nationwide, with multiple “mass shootings” over the weekend, although most did not lead to multiple fatalities. 
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.