Killing of Asian woman deepens fears in New York

In this file photo taken on March 18, 2021, a University of Washington student who wished to remain anonymous holds a sign that reads “hate has no place” during the We Are Not Silent rally organized by the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition Against Hate and Bias in Bellevue, Washington. via China Daily/Asia News Network

NEW YORK — Another woman of Asian background has been killed in New York City this year, with the death of the woman at the hands of a home intruder deepening the anxieties among the city’s Chinese community.

In the slaying on Sunday, video footage obtained by the New York Post shows the suspect following the 35-year-old victim as she enters her Chrystie Street apartment building in Manhattan around 4:30 am, trailing her as she opens the front door and enters the hallway.

A neighbor across the hall of the victim’s sixth-floor apartment called the 911 emergency line after hearing the screams of the stabbing victim, law enforcement sources said.

Police who set up a perimeter saw a man climbing out onto the fire escape, holding something and with blood on his clothes. The suspect, identified as Assamad Nash, 25, retreated into the building when he saw police, the Post reported.

In January, the killing of Michelle Go, 40, a California native of Chinese ancestry, drew nationwide attention. Go was waiting on a platform at Times Square station on Jan 15 when she was shoved into the path of an oncoming train.

The killings of the two women have a familiar thread, in that the suspects charged by police are homeless men.

The stabbing in Manhattan Chinatown happened two days after a rally in the neighborhood against a proposed city homeless shelter.

Against a larger backdrop of rising crime, the US’ largest city and its new mayor, Eric Adams, are trying to get a grip on violence and the fear that it creates.

More lenient bail laws and fewer prosecutions are often blamed as factors in the crime surge.

New York City also is in a weakened economic condition with far fewer people working in offices since the March 2020 start of the pandemic in the city. That in turn has led to reduced ridership on city transit systems.

Following Go’s killing in the subway, Martial Simon, 61, a homeless man said to be mentally ill, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

In the case involving the 35-year-old, officers earlier had tried to break down the apartment door as the woman screamed for help, the Post reported, citing sources. Police tried using a sledgehammer but were initially unable to get inside until emergency services showed up.

“She got out of a cab right here and he followed her,” the building’s owner told the Post. “He grabbed the front door just before it closed. He followed her all the way up, hanging back, staying one floor behind her all the way up to the sixth floor. Then, he waited until her door was just about closed and he went in.”

The victim, whose name has been withheld, was found in her bathtub “bleeding from multiple wounds to the body”, while the suspect was discovered hiding under a bed, according to a source and an NYPD spokesman, the Post reported.

Investigation underway

Police are investigating whether the slaying was a hate crime.

“Maybe this is a hate crime. Maybe this is not a hate crime, but this is another Asian woman,” state Senator John Liu told the Daily News. “Another Asian woman has been brutally attacked in her own home.”

Adams denounced the crime in a statement on Sunday.

“I and New Yorkers across the city mourn for the innocent woman murdered in her home last night in Chinatown, and stand with our Asian brothers and sisters today,” the mayor said.

Nash has three pending criminal cases in Manhattan, the Post reported. He is accused of punching a subway rider in the eye at the Grand Street station on Sept 28, sources said. He was released without bail but did not appear for the case and was arrested two months later on a warrant, then released again.

On Friday, residents of Manhattan Chinatown angrily protested plans for a city homeless shelter in the neighborhood.

“You are killing our people. You are killing our business. You are killing our livelihood,” resident Mary Wang said, according to CBS New York.

The city plans to open the shelter next year on East Broadway by Forsyth Street. Residents say it will be the sixth shelter in their neighborhood.

“In the past 38 years I’ve lived in Chinatown, it has never felt as unsafe as now. The homelessness is an issue,” resident Raymond Tsang said.

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