Suspect arrested in unprovoked stabbing death in Bronx subway station
The victim, Charles Moore, 38, was getting off a northbound No. 4 train when he was attacked
MORRIS HEIGHTS, Bronx (WABC) -- Police have made an arrest in the deadly stabbing of a man in a Bronx subway station on Thursday.
Saquan Lemons, 27, of the Bronx was arrested Saturday afternoon on charges including murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said.
The victim, Charles Moore, 38, was getting off a northbound No. 4 train as it arrived at the 176th Street station just before 9 p.m. Thursday when he was stabbed multiple times in the back and chest.
Moore collapsed on the platform awas rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died, becoming the seventh person to be killed in the NYC transit system this year, and the second fatal subway stabbing in less than a week.
Friends and family say that Moore's world revolved around his 8-year-old daughter, Charlie.
"She was his life. She was Charles' life - if there's one thing I can say about my son, he was a damn good father. A better father than what we had," said Moore's mother, Frances Vanterpool.
On Saturday, friends toasted him, cried and lit candles for a second night - but this time, they knew that a suspect was in custody.
Police did not say how they found Lemons, but the MTA's security chief thanked detectives in a statement for their use of MTA cameras in making the quick arrest.
"As we've said before, anyone who targets transit riders or employees will have their picture taken and the NYPD will bring them to justice," MTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Pat Warren said. "In this terrible case, we thank detectives who used video from MTA cameras as part of a successful investigation resulting in rapid arrest of the suspect."
Police are still investigating whether this was a random attack. Moore's mother says it had to be.
"It was unprovoked, there was no words spoken between that man and my son. The man stabbed my son in the back, several times," she said.
While the arrest is a relief to family and friends who were honoring Moore, it doesn't make the loss any less painful.
"I mean, he's arrested - that's it. But it won't bring my friend back," said Darrel Colquhoun.
Colquhoun was actually on the phone with Moore minutes before he was attacked, while Moore was on his way home from work at Citi Field.
"Everything was normal, we were just talking about my son's basketball," Colquhoun said.
They were planning to hang out before Moore would spend the weekend with his little girl.
Moore's mother says a murder conviction is all she wants at this point - her family has been through unimaginable loss. Ten years ago, Moore's nephew, Teddy Beckles was killed in a stabbing outside his school. Just last year, Moore's sister suffered a fatal heart attack.
"I can't take no more," said Vanterpool.
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