Sunset Park attack: Man charged in hammer attack that left mother killed, 2 kids fighting for life
SUNSET PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) — The man accused of beating a mother to death with a hammer in Brooklyn has been charged.
That woman’s children, a 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl, are fighting for their lives in what police described as a “horrific and a senseless act of violence.”
The incident was reported inside the bedroom of a home at 531 52nd St. in Sunset Park around 2 p.m.
Authorities say LiYong Ye, the 43-year-old who lived in the apartment with 43-year-old Zhao Zhao and her kids, used a hammer to attack them.
Although their injuries were initially believed to be from stab wounds, it was determined they were actually beaten. A hammer was recovered at the scene and police say it appears to be the weapon used.
Elected officials say the victim’s husband works in Ohio and returns once a month. He is on his way back to be with his kids at the hospital.
Investigators say the man under arrest was a roommate in their small second-floor, three-bedroom apartment occupied by three families. He was apprehended as he was trying to leave the building.
Ye has been charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. He has no prior criminal charges, officials said.
Police say it’s not clear right now why he carried out the attack.
“It’s very rare in our community to have this kind of violence,” said State Assembly Lester Chang. “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 father to cross that moral line.”
Local leaders say Ye’s 9-year-old son watched the gruesome attack unfold.
“The roommate likely got the call from the perpetrator to say come get my son,” New York State Senator Iwen Chu said.
Without their mother present, the two young kids are in the hospital with serious wounds.
“We all have to pray for these young kids,” said Chang. “These two young kids fighting for their lives. And I can only imagine what the father has to go through.”
Exclusive video shows Ye being brought out of the 72nd precinct yesterday. He was bruised and bandaged, and was put in an ambulance to be taken to the hospital.
Officials say he will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
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https://abc7ny.com/hammer-attack-stabbing-brooklyn-children-stabbed/13693490/ Sunset Park attack: Man charged in hammer attack that left mother killed, 2 kids fighting for life
