Twin sisters stabbed, one fatally, during argument in Brooklyn deli
NEW YORK -- Twin sisters were attacked inside a Brooklyn deli early Sunday morning by a man who, police sources say, tried to flirt with them.
One was killed and the other was injured. Police have launched a manhunt for the person responsible.
"It's horrible. It's sad. It's very sad," Miriam Ortiz said.
Ortiz was among those to visit a growing memorial outside the home of 19-year-old Samyia Spain, who died after being stabbed twice at around 2:30 a.m. inside a deli on 4th Avenue and St. Mark's Place in Park Slope.
Her twin sister was stabbed in the arm.
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A witness, who did not want to be identified, said the twin sisters were attacked because they refused a stranger's advances.
"One of them guys complemented two girls, walked in with their friends, and they said, no, we're not attracted so he called them names. They called him names back. He walked out. He walked down the block angry," the witness said.
The witness said the man then came back to the deli and things took a turn for the worse.
"He's banging on the door. They lock the door. Then he walked away again. So they unlocked the door so everyone can leave. So the second they open the door, he ran back into the door and started attacking them," the witness said.
A worker at the deli said the twins had been coming there for years.
"They're very nice. I know their father, too. They come here all the time, customers for maybe over, I would say, over 10 years I know them," Mohammed Alba said. "Take somebody else's life, a young lady, 19 years old, a beautiful girl."
The witness said the man and his friends were intoxicated and ran off after the attack.
So far, no arrests have been made.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.