An attack occurred this morning in Riverside Park, which is located along the Hudson River on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The suspect has been identified as Julius Graham, who is 43 years old. He was armed with a pair of scissors and is obviously emotionally disturbed, as he slashed five people early this morning, including a father and his toddler. The police reported that he was carrying identification on him that said he was from Texas, but was reported to have been living in a homeless shelter in New York City, as recently as a week ago.
Attacks continue to occur all over this country, and while this time it wasn’t even a gunman, it is still a very serious incident. Who could have predicted someone stabbing people in a park with scissors? It just goes to show that people are not getting enough help, and as a result they act out and attack people. According to The New York Times, the seemingly random rampage just before 8 a.m. near 65th Street and Riverside Park South, and the attack lasted under 10 minutes. The rampage began when Graham approached a 36 year old woman jogging on a path and stabbed her in the back, who was the most seriously injured victim in the attack.
Riverside Park still completely empty 7 hours after horrific attack http://t.co/LljEX9GnGy
— westsiderag (@westsiderag) October 1, 2013
This is one of my favorite places to go #running. Very sad to hear about this attack and hope everyone will be ok. http://t.co/dD414BRurJ
— Stacey Cooper (@scoopsontherun) October 1, 2013
The attack continued until he hit a man and his toddler, prompting a bystander to come to his rescue and wrestle the suspect to the ground. He kept him subdued until the police were able to arrive on the scene at 8:04 a.m. Riverside Park, which stretches four miles from 72nd to 158th Streets along the Hudson River, had to be shut down all morning, in order to allow police officers canvass the area for witnesses.
UPDATE: 5 victims slashed/stabbed in Riverside Park attack
— Shiba Russell (@Shiba4NY) October 1, 2013
Police commissioner Raymond Kelly says that all of the victims are expected to survive. USA Today mentions that aside from the toddler, who is one-and-a-half, all of the other victims were in their 30’s. Martin Speechley, a detective with the New York Police Department, said that the park is normally a very safe area. The attack was completely unexpected and shocking for everyone around. All of the victims were taken to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital. The suspect was sent to Bellevue Hospital, and is getting ready to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to NY 1 News.
Image via Youtube
