Twin 19-year-old sisters were each stabbed in a Brooklyn deli early Sunday, leaving one dead and the other receiving treatment in hospital, police and witnesses said.
Police said in a short statement that Samiya Spain died from a stab wound to her chest. Her sister, who has not been identified by police but according to media reports is named Saniya, suffered a wound to her arm but was in a stable condition, police said.
Saniya, the surviving sister, told the New York Daily News on Sunday night that the pair were taking a break from a family games night to get some snacks when the suspect approached them.
NYPD said the attack took place at about 2:20 a.m. inside the Natural Plus deli in the Park Slope neighborhood, on the corner of Saint Mark's Place and 4th Avenue, a short walk from Spain's home on Nevins Street.
"Upon arrival, officers observed a 19-year-old female with a stab wound to the chest and a second 19-year-old female with a stab wound to the arm," police said.
Emergency medical services took both women to the New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital where one was pronounced deceased.
"There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing at this time," police added.
Saniya Spain told the Daily News that she became protective over her sister when she saw her talking to a man. Samiya refused to give out her phone number, instead offering an Instagram username, Saniya said, but the man became annoyed when she refused to follow him back.
"She said she wasn’t going to follow him back,” Sanyia said. "That’s it. She said no."
A witness, who asked not to be named, told NBC New York that an argument began after a man complimented the women and said he found them attractive, but was rejected. He called them names, the witness said, then left the deli.
"He walked down the block angry. And then two or three minutes later he comes up and starts banging and kicking on the glass door trying to get in," the witness said, adding that the deli staff had locked the door to prevent him re-entering.
"The second they opened the door, he ran back into the door and started attacking them,” the witness said.
A fight ensued involving the man, his friends and the sisters' older brother, Saniya said.
"He had a knife in his hand and was saying, 'I’m gonna stab y’all in the face,'" Sanyia told the Daily news. "I’m telling everyone to back up. And he pushed little Samyia to the ground."
"She said, ‘I’m about to faint,'" Sanyia said. "As soon as she said 'I’m about to faint,' I called 911."
Alphonso Goodson, the girls’ grandfather, told the New York Post: "He walked in and started hitting on her. She said, ‘I don’t want to be bothered with you. Leave me alone.’ Then the storeowner put him out."
"He was waiting for them,” Goodson said. "He took it the wrong way. He came after them. That was wrong. That was dead wrong. I hope they catch this guy."
A makeshift memorial of candles has appeared outside the Spains' building.
In 2021, 51-year-old Nichelle Thomas was killed in a point-blank shooting while entering the same deli in Park Slope.
Tony Herbert, a Democrat New York Assembly candidate for Brooklyn, called for tougher penalties for violent crimes in a news conference Sunday.
“We have make sure that people understand that if you pull out a knife on somebody, you’re going to go to jail,” he said.