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The maniac who allegedly stabbed veteran FDNY T Lt. Alison Russo-Elling to dying in an unprovoked Queens attack has been charged with homicide, cops stated Friday.
Peter Zisopoulous, 34, additionally faces a weapon possession cost in connection to the mindless assault on the 61-year-old paramedic, who was stabbed greater than 20 occasions at twentieth Avenue and forty first Street in Astoria round 2:20 p.m. Thursday, police stated.
Zisopoulous adopted Russo-Elling earlier than slamming her to the bottom, mounting her and relentlessly stabbing her, in keeping with police sources and sickening video of the lethal assault.
A witness confronted the madman, however he snarled, “F–okay you, f–okay you!” earlier than stepping away from his sufferer and charging on the scooter-riding pedestrian whereas nonetheless holding the knife, police sources stated.
The sufferer — whose accidents included a deep, deadly wound to the chest — was left unresponsive on the bottom after her callous attacker ran off, in keeping with sources and the video.
He was busted after he was chased by an excellent Samaritan and barricaded himself inside his close by house, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig stated Thursday.
Police have been in a position to discuss him down and take him into custody on the third flooring of the house.
Russo-Elling had gone to seize meals when Zisopoulous allegedly stabbed her in what authorities stated was a random and fully unprovoked assault.
“At this level within the investigation there doesn’t seem to have been any prior contact between them,” an FDNY supply stated. “He simply walked towards her, sped up after which stabbed her to dying.”
Russo-Elling — a 25-year veteran who was a World Trade Center responder on Sept. 11, 2001 — was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in crucial situation however couldn’t be saved, police stated.
She “was about six or seven months away from retirement,” Vincent Variale, president of Local 3621, told reporters exterior the hospital the place Russo-Elling succumbed to her accidents. “She was speaking about it.”
FDNY Acting Commissioner Laura Kavanagh referred to as Russo-Elling’s dying “heartbreaking,” including she was stabbed in a “barbaric and fully unprovoked assault.”
“We misplaced certainly one of our heroes,” Mayor Eric Adams stated throughout a press briefing.
Russo-Elling labored out of Station 49 in Astoria and lived on Long Island.
She joined the FDNY as an EMT in March 1998 and was promoted to a paramedic in 2002 earlier than turning into a lieutenant in 2016.
Paramedics have a better stage of schooling than EMTs and are in a position to carry out extra advanced procedures, together with administering remedy to sufferers and inserting IV traces.
Russo-Elling labored out of quite a few EMS stations by way of her profession, together with Station 20, Station 17, Station 16, Station 45, Queens Tactical Response Group and Station 49.
–Additional reporting by Tina Moore
