An on-duty emergency medical technician who worked with the Fire Department of New York was fatally stabbed in Queens Thursday afternoon while on break.
Alison Russo-Elling, a 25-year-veteran with FDNY, was working at her EMS station when she went on break, officials confirmed.
The suspect stabbed Russo-Elling, 61, multiple times before leaving the scene and then barricading himself at his home, NYPD Chief James Essig said at a press conference.
Members of the NYPD’s Hostage Negotiating Team and Emergency Services Unit talked the suspect into coming out of his apartment. He was then taken into custody, Essig said.
Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh called the incident a “barbaric and completely unprovoked attack.”
“To be attacked and killed in the course of helping others is both heartbreaking and enraging for our department in ways I cannot describe. Lieutenant Russo exemplified FDNY-EMS,” Kavanagh said. “She served this city for 25 years. She was a World Trade Center first responder. She was cited multiple times for her bravery and her life-saving work. And she was absolutely beloved on this job.”
Kavanagh said Russo-Elling was the 1,158th member of the FDNY to die while in the line of duty.
“Our hearts break for our entire department and her family,” Kavanagh continued.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell spoke on the tragedy, saying it was the “latest consequence of the violence that we relentlessly fight in our city.”
“We can never tolerate this violence in our city,” Sewell added. “It has to and will be stopped, and we will never forget the brave women and men who put their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe.”
