On the afternoon of August 23, a 43-year-old mother was fatally assaulted with a hammer in a Sunset Park rooming house in Brooklyn, New York.
Zhao Zhao, 43, was found unresponsive. Her two children, aged five and three, were discovered gravely injured in their small living space and are currently in a life-threatening state.
The New York Police Department acted on an emergency call about a violent altercation shortly before 2 pm. Officers detained a 47-year-old man, identified as Liyong Ye, covered in blood, attempting to exit the 52nd Street building. Ye occupied a separate room in the three-bedroom apartment, where his nine-year-old son lived and another tenant occupied a room. The nine-year-old boy was present at the time of the attack.
NYPD Chief of Patrol, John Chell, termed the event a “tragic and unwarranted violent act” during a media briefing.
Video from The New York Post presented officers carefully evacuating the injured children. They were admitted to NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, where Zhao was pronounced dead. Her children are still in a critical state.
A blood-covered hammer found on site provided insights into the incident. Zhao and Ye were known to each other and shared an apartment. Police speculate that they had a financial dispute. Zhao’s husband was not in New York at the time of the attack and holds a job in Ohio.
Addressing the violence, which is unusual for the Fukanese (Chinese) community from Fujian province, State Assembly Lester Chang said, “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 suspect to cross that moral line.”
Ye is currently under police custody. Authorities are still unraveling the reasons for this atrocity.