A 51-year-old patient at a New York City psychiatric hospital died at the hands of another patient Saturday.
Police received an emergency call from the Bronx Psychiatric Center and found Leon Little unconscious and unresponsive with abrasions on his neck, Reuters reported.
Emergency medical workers pronounced Little dead at the scene. Police arrested 19-year-old Brett Smith, another patient at the facility, on second-degree murder charges.
Smith allegedly wrapped an electrical cord from a floor-buffing machine around Little's neck following a fight between the two men, according to the New York Post.
Police said Smith has no arrest history in New York, and they are not sure what caused the violence.
It is unclear if Smith has an attorney or how he would plead at his arraignment next week.
Police said they continue to investigate the murder. A nurse from the hospital refused to comment on the situation because of patient confidentiality laws.
The Office of Mental Health in Albany, which oversees the hospital in the Bronx, had not responded to requests for comments.
The Bronx Psychiatric Center is an in-patient and out-patient facility. According to the New York Post, the hospital specializes in addiction treatment services.
