This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
On Wednesday evening, a dinner gathering in a Harlem apartment building turned deadly when the estranged husband of one of the women, Ubaldo Gomez, a 44-year-old Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker, arrived at the scene wearing his uniform and carrying a gun.
According to police officials, Gomez shot his sister-in-law and stabbed her in the head with a kitchen knife while his wife called 911. When officers arrived, they found the bleeding woman collapsed just inside the door and Gomez grappling with the superintendent on the floor, stabbing at him with the knife. A police sergeant opened fire, striking Gomez in the torso, who died at the scene.
The sister-in-law, 45, also died before she could be taken to a hospital. The superintendent, 39, was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Chief of Patrol Fausto Pichardo stated that the sergeant made numerous verbal commands for Gomez to show his hands, but he continued to attack, prompting the sergeant to discharge his firearm.
Police found a bloody chef's knife and a 9-millimeter Glock pistol in the apartment. An investigation is ongoing, and a motive for the attack has not been determined. The M.T.A. declined to comment on the incident.
Domestic violence-related killings have increased in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year, despite a decrease in overall domestic violence reports. The incident highlights the ongoing issue of domestic violence in New York City.
Video footage captured by a bystander showed medics wheeling a man from the building on a stretcher. The Fire Department responded to the 911 call at 6:50 p.m. and took one person to a hospital.
