Police say there's been another attack outside a busy migrant shelter on Randall's Island.
A 26-year-old man suffered a stab wound to the abdomen Sunday morning but is expected to survive. Authorities said the incident happened outside of the 3,000-person shelter around 10:30 a.m.
Police and medics responded, with the latter transported the victim to a hospital in Harlem to be treated. Officials have not released any details about what led up to the attack.
Detectives are looking into whether or not the people involved in the incident live at the shelter. So far, there have been no arrests.
The stabbing comes roughly one week after a police contraband raid on the shelter. According to Gothamist, a NYPD spokesperson said they found nothing.
The safety and security of all New Yorkers, and every single person in our care, is our top priority. To that end, NYPD has commenced an operation at the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center at Randall’s Island to remove any dangerous contraband from the shelter.
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) August 2, 2024
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"These actions just further compound the trauma our clients and other shelter residents have already endured both during their journeys to New York and in their home countries because of their sexual and gender identities, political affiliations, and otherwise," the Legal Aid Society said in a statement at the time.
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The search came on the heels of a triple shooting that killed a woman and wounded two others. The gunman opened fire on a crowd gathered in a park for the results of Venezuela's presidential election.
The suspected shooter, identified by police as a man upset about a prior robbery, opened fire from about 100 feet away and fled on a moped, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
“We do know why they were there — many were celebrating the election in Venezuela,” NYPD spokesperson Tarik Sheppard said. But, since the island is open to the public, he said, “there’s no way to determine whether every single person who was out there was definitely staying at this facility.”
Randall’s Island — a spit of parks, fields and government buildings adjacent to Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx — is home to New York City’s largest shelter for asylum seekers.
The shelter opened in August 2023 amid a dramatic influx of migrants as Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered many of them to be bussed from the border directly to Democratic-led cities. Built on sports fields at Randall’s Island’s southern tip, the shelter also includes tents for dining and bathroom facilities.
