By Ivan Pereira
City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) is calling for an end to youth violence after a Rosedale teen was fatally stabbed when she walked the streets of Brooklyn unattended over the weekend.
Kyanna Thomas, 16, of 149th Road, was stabbed in the head around 3 a.m. Sunday at the corner of McDougal Street & Saratoga Avenue in Brownsville, police said. She was rushed to Interfaith Hospital but was pronounced dead once she arrived there, according to police.
Thomas was staying in Brooklyn with a relative over the weekend, but she snuck out of her relative’s home sometime after 11 p.m., according to investigators. No suspects have been named and there were no arrests as of press time Tuesday evening.
The police would not comment about report that the girl called 911 as she was dying on the street.
Thomas’ parents, who are divorced and worked with the City’s Dept. of Corrections, but both live in the Rosedale area, could not be reached for comment. She attended Brooklyn Latin High School, according to Sanders.
The councilman said he has been in touch with the family and said the entire neighborhood has been numbed with grief over the teen’s murder.
“Any life is taken from us is sad, but when a youth loses their life, it is a tragedy,” Sanders said.
A makeshift candle memorial was set up by friends and family at the site where she was stabbed.
Jerome L. Rice, a former city Corrections Office who worked with Thomas’s family, the co-founder of the non-profit group Blacks In Law Enforcement Alliance announced that he is offering a $1,000 reward for information regarding Thomas’s death.
It is not clear what the girl was doing when she left her relative’s home, but Sanders said no parent should have to suffer the loss of a child.
“There are questions and the investigation is going to answer those questions,” he said. “Our first response is to comfort the family.”
In the meantime, the councilman is continuing to push his message of anti-violence in the area. For the last couple of years, his office, along with the other elected officials in southeast Queens, have been working with clergy, schools and other groups to get kids off the streets.
“When it rains, it does not rain on one person’s house. You cannot curb the violence in Springfield Gardens without curbing it in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, and vice versa,” he said.
Anyone with information on Thomas’ killing is urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), text their tips to 274637 (crimes) then enter TIP577 or log on to nypdcrimestoppers.com. All reports will be kept confidential.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
