Police arrested a suspect in connection with the Brooklyn, New York, stabbing of two children that left one dead.
Daniel St. Hubert, 27, was detained just after 8 p.m. Wednesday, in the residential area of South Ozone Park, Queens, for allegedly killing 6-year-old Prince Joshua Avitto and injuring 7-year-old Mikayla Capers, Sunday. The children had gone to buy a cold drink near their Brooklyn, NY housing development.
The children were stabbed round 6 p.m. inside an elevator at the Boulevard Houses, Schenck Avenue in East New York.
A steak knife was used to attack the children. Witnesses said a man in his 20s fled the scene and left the knife outside the building.
An official on the condition of anonymity had previously told The New York Times that an initial match was found between DNA on the knife used to kill Avitto and a profile in the New York State database.
According to the officials, the forensic evidence led to St. Hubert. The arrest happened shortly after Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton released a sketch of St. Hubert asking for help from the public to find him.
St. Hubert has an extensive criminal record. He was arrested nine times, including twice for assaulting police and correction officers. He has served five years behind bars for various charges. He was released on community supervision, May 23.
Police said that they are also investigating whether St. Hubert fatally stabbed 18-year-old Tanaya Copeland, Friday, just four blocks away from where the children were stabbed. The investigators recovered a similar knife from the crime scene where Copeland was murdered, reports the Associated Press.
