NEW YORK, June 2 (UPI) -- A man told two children in an elevator in a New York housing project to be quiet and then stabbed them, killing a 6-year-old boy, police said.
Prince Joshua Avitto died in the attack Sunday at the Boulevard Houses in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Mikayla Capers, 7, was seriously injured and was reported to be in critical condition.
Police sources told the New York Daily News the same man may have killed Tanaya Grant. Grant, a freshman at Long Island University, was stabbed Friday night.
Relatives said the two playmates were taking the elevator downstairs to buy popsicles just before 6 p.m. when they were stabbed. A brother told the News that Prince was about to celebrate his 7th birthday.
Police sources said that both children were stabbed in the body. They said the man first ordered them to "shut up."
"He took my pride and joy away," said Nicholas Avitto, Prince's father. "I'm devastated. I'm beyond comprehension. I'm trying to understand how God works. My son is gone. That was the light of my life."
