Detectives in Elmhurst are still trying to identify the killer behind New York City’s first homicide of 2024 — a stabbing following a bar brawl.
The melee on Jan. 1 at the KTM Bar in Elmhurst, which occurred mere hours after the city rang in the new year, left one man dead and another individual critically wounded.
According to police sources, officers from the 110th Precinct rushed to the corner of 76th Street and Roosevelt Avenue at around 3:57 a.m. on Jan. 1 to discover two men with serious stab wounds.
Tsering Wangdu, 29, suffered a stab wound to the leg and a second unnamed 30-year-old man was found with stab wounds to the chest and face.
The pair were rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where Wangdu was pronounced dead, and the 30-year-old was placed in critical condition.
Police say the two victims were part of a group of five revelers who had been partying at the bar on Broadway and 76th Street when they were asked to leave for alleged unruly behavior. That led to an enormous brawl between the patrons and the establishment’s bouncers, which spilled onto the street outside.
According to Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, the patrons got the better of the bouncers, leading to one of them attempting to flee.
“As the fight continues one of the bouncers is being assaulted. He breaks free from the group and runs to 76th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, where he’s pursued by a group of five males, including our two victims,” Chief Kenny said. “He’s being assaulted, he’s being stomped while he’s on the ground, and we believe this is where the stabbing takes place.”
Chief Kenny reported that the vicious assault on the bouncer was captured on video. Cops are also looking into which group performed the deadly stabbing, if it was another bouncer who was defending his colleague or if the attack stemmed from one of the patrons who mistakenly assaulted his own friends in the scuffle.
Authorities say they have yet to locate the bouncers involved in the incident. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
