Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Neighbors Accuse Cops Of Slow Response To Sword-Killer
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Nov 23, 2010
Modified Nov 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Nov 23, 2010
Modified Nov 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Early this morning, neighbors of actor Michael Brea (Step-Up 3D) claimed they heard screaming coming from inside his mother's apartment. "Michael was yelling, 'Repent, repent, sinner, sinner,' over and over again," neighbor Gregory Clare told the Daily News. "He was screaming, 'You never accepted Jesus.' It was real loud." Neighbors quickly called 911, and police eventually found Brea's mother, Yannick, dead of stab wounds allegedly inflicted by Brea with a samurai sword. Brea is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation, but neighbors are saying police waited almost an hour before entering Brea's apartment, and the wait cost Yannick her life.
Gregory's father Clinton Clare told the Post, "They came 15 minutes [after the call] and would not knock down the door. They just kept standing there for 45 minutes. I think she’d be alive if they hadn’t taken so long." Others say they could year Yannick groaning from inside the apartment as cops knocked on the door. Neighbors claim they told the cops to bust down the door, but they wouldn't listen. "They just kept saying protocol this and protocol that," said Gregory Clare. "Now a woman's dead who should be alive if only the police would have listened."
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said he believed officers handled the situation properly. "It's a barricaded situation and that is handled by the Emergency Services Unit. What happens in a barricade situation is that responding patrol officers, if possible, wait for the Emergency Services forces to arrive," he said, and also noted Brea was holding a Bible when police entered. Brea has no criminal record, and neighbors describe him as a martial-arts enthusiast who never showed any violent tendencies. One neighbor told NY1, "I would say he was a down-to-earth, cool. hard working person.... I couldn't see this coming at all."
Tagged
brooklyn
michael brea
nypd
samurai sword
stabbing
Yannick brea
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
GOP candidates in NY face a changed landscape on immigration
The 'migrant crisis' has changed markedly since the voters went to the polls two years ago.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
Mamdani plans redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue after nurse killed in hit-and-run
Sunset Park residents and street safety advocates have called on city officials to make the avenue safer for years.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Mamdani plans redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue after nurse killed in hit-and-run
Sunset Park residents and street safety advocates have called on city officials to make the avenue safer for years.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
NJ Gov. Sherrill: Election is secure, noncitizens taken off voter rolls
By
Michael Sol Warren
Ex-NYPD officer again faces murder charge in George Washington Bridge shooting
By
Samantha Max
Former NYC buildings boss helped reopen mayor's favored restaurant despite health violations
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .