Vincent Pinkney, 25, of Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States has been arrested. He is accused of stabbing Italian citizens Davide Giri, 30, and Robert Malastina, 27.

Pinkney belonged to Everybody Killas (EBK), a Bloods gang off-shoot based in Queens, New York City, according to police. Just before 11:00 p.m. on December 2, 2021, he allegedly stabbed Giri in the stomach in Morningside Park in Manhattan while the latter was walking back to his apartment in Morningside Heights, New York City after soccer practice with his team NY International FC.

Around 15 minutes later, Pinkney allegedly stabbed Malastina and fled. The stabber later threated another man with a knife in Central Park, Manhattan, according to the man who was with his girlfriend walking his dog at the time.

It was the dog-walking couple who identified Pinkney, who was arrested inside Central Park. The suspect has yet to be charged.

Once in custody, Pinkney immediately asked for a lawyer and said nothing to police, a source told New York Daily News. The suspect knew neither Giri nor Malastina.

Originally from Alba, Piedmont, Italy, Giri was a PhD candidate in computer science at Columbia University in New York City. From 2013 to 2015, he attended the University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, USA where he earned his master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering.

Malastina is a tourist. He arrived in New York City on December 1, 2021.

Both Giri and Malastina were taken to Mount Sinai-Saint Luke’s Hospital in New York City. The former was pronounced dead while the latter survived and is in a stable condition.

Before stabbing Giri and Malastina, Pinkney had 11  prior arrests dating back to 2012 for several crimes including robberies and assaults. In 2013, Pinkney and three other people allegedly pummeled a man and repeatedly slashed the man in the face in Jamaica, Queens.

In 2015, Pinkney was convicted of gang assault. He served three years of a four-year prison stint and is on post-release supervision until 2022.

Although Pinkney has “spent some time in jail,” he was not “known to be violent at all,” his father told New York Post. The father said he did not really know if his son was involved in gang activity.