Stabbing of migrant teens in Lower Manhattan stemmed from dispute between rival gangs: police
LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- Police have released video and photos of the three men they say stabbed a migrant teen to death and wounded another in Lower Manhattan.
Authorities now believe the deadly stabbing stemmed from a dispute between two rival gangs.
Tuesday morning, police were still searching for three people they say were behind the incident that left 17-year-old Yeremi Colino dead and an 18-year-old injured. The injured man is expected to recover.
A video captured the trio on camera following the attack on John Street near Broadway before 8 p.m. Thursday.
Police have on video a larger group displaying gang signs when confronted by the victims and asked, "Why are you flashing gang signs?"
It quickly turned into to a street brawl.
That's when the 17-year-old was stabbed fatally in the chest and pulled into a drug store by a worker who called 911.
Police believe the victims are members of Venezuelan migrant gangs taking hold in New York City-run hotels around 42nd Street.
The suspects in the video are believed to be migrant gang members from the Caribbean community.
Detectives have been hard at work from the time the crime occurred, narrowing in on evidence left behind at the scene.
Police also say another 911 call came in from a person who said he heard the suspects ask the victims if they spoke English. They no longer believe that is the case.
Eyewitness News spoke with the 18-year-old victim just last week, who showed up at the scene.
"I was with my friend yesterday. A group of people show up, like a gang, and they pull out a knife towards me and my friend," the victim said.
While the Midtown high-profile CEO murder has caught national attention, detectives spoke Monday night and said they are pumping resources into this case. They are determined to take the trio of suspects believed to be behind this deadly stabbing into custody.
This is the fourth murder to take place in the 1st Precinct so far this year, while no homicides took place in the same precinct throughout all of 2023.
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