CANARSIE, Brooklyn (WABC) — People lined up outside a funeral home in Brooklyn Monday night to say goodbye to the man who was was slashed and killed on a subway train last week.
The victim, Tommy Bailey, 43, was a union fitter and father of three. He was also a star baseball player in high school.
“We just have to do better. It’s sad. It feels like we’re back in 1980. I don’t know what to say,” said Bailey’s brother Kurt Myers.
Myers says Bailey is a hero for what he did on the Brooklyn-bound L train last Friday.
The incident happened on the southbound L train around 9 p.m
Police sources told Eyewitness News that Bailey saw the suspect being disrespectful to a police officer on the station platform.
Bailey is said to have approached the suspect and told him to stop being disrespectful to the officer.
This led to a verbal altercation on the platform that spilled over onto the train and turned physical.
Police sources say the suspect pulled out a knife and slashed Bailey in the neck before running away.
“Not everyone can afford a $50 Uber ride. We owe it to all New Yorkers to make the subway and public transit safe and feel safe. We have to make it that way,” said MTA Chairman Jano Lieber.
Lieber paid his respects after Bailey.
Bailey is one of three people killed in transit in the past 10 days, and one of eight this year alone.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has made crime his top priority, and while homicides are down across the city, they are still present in the transportation system.
“The crime rate on the subway is relatively low, but because everyone has to use public transportation, it has a huge impact on everyone’s sense of safety in the city,” Lieber said. “Everyone puts themselves in the position of being attacked. Because it’s very personal that you see yourself in this situation, we need to make it safer based on statistics, but also feel safer. I’m counting on the NYPD to do that.”
The NYPD has already committed resources to the transit system.
Last week they announced plans to send 700 new recruits to high-impact areas above and below ground to increase their visibility as the festive season approaches.
READ ALSO | How Mayor Adams Plans to Handle New York’s Mental Health Crisis
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