A homeless man accused of fatally stabbing a 19-year-old man during a fight inside a Queens internet cafe was charged with first-degree murder on Friday, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
“Senseless violence such as that which is alleged to have occurred in this case cannot be tolerated,” Brown said in a news release. “As a result the defendant now faces serious consequences for his alleged actions.”
Yangpu Fan, of Flushing, was with a group of friends playing a video game at the K&D Internet Café on Union Street, near 39th Avenue, around 9 p.m. Wednesday, when they asked Paul Kim, 51, if he would move so they could add more players, police said.
When Kim refused, saying he was there first, the pair got into a heated argument. Kim then stabbed Fan twice in the right side of his body, according to police.
Fan’s friends rushed to his aid and took him to NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens around 9:43 p.m. The hospital then alerted police to the situation.
Fan later succumbed to his injuries Wednesday night, police said.
Meanwhile, police headed for the internet cafe to begin an investigation and found Kim still inside, an NYPD spokesman said. He was taken into custody and a knife was also recovered at the scene.
Kim, who has no known residence, was arraigned Friday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Toni Cimino. He was held on $75,000 bond or $50,000 bail and is due back in court on May 12, the district attorney’s office said.
If convicted, Kim faces up to 25 years in prison.
