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Queens man arrested in fatal Mother’s Day stabbing of MTA bus rider, who was dad of 3
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 14, 2025
Modified May 14, 2025
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MarkusBeck via Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 14, 2025
Modified May 14, 2025
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Police said on Wednesday that they arrested a Queens man accused of fatally stabbing another rider on an MTA shuttle bus in Brooklyn.
NYPD officials said Richmond Hill resident Kareem McCalla, 36, was charged with murder and weapons possession in Sunday's killing of St. Albans resident Alvin Francis, 41. Both men got into an argument over a seat on board a J90 bus around 2 p.m. Sunday near Crescent and Etna streets in Cypress Hills, according to officials.
According to a criminal complaint, McCalla stabbed Francis in the midsection with a knife during the altercation, which was captured on surveillance video.
McCalla turned himself in on Tuesday afternoon at the NYPD’s 75th Precinct, where the incident took place, police said. Surveillance footage showed him holding a knife in his right hand and stabbing Francis, according to the complaint. He also admitted to the stabbing in a statement to police, the document states.
The shuttle bus was transporting passengers through the area while tracks were being replaced on the J line, according to the MTA. McCalla lived about a mile from the crime scene, police said.
Francis was pronounced dead at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center. A doctor there told police he died from stab wounds to the left shoulder, left side and midsection, according to the complaint.
Francis' father, also named Alvin Francis, said his son was coming home from an extra work shift as a roofer in Manhattan and was looking forward to spending the rest of Mother’s Day with his wife and three children.
“He was sacrificed. His blood spilled for the public,” the elder Francis said. “Anybody on that transportation could have pretty much happened to go through that fate, but he’s the one. Why?”
He said he was struggling to understand how an upstanding man like his son could be killed in broad daylight on a city bus.
Francis said his grandchildren, who are 10, 14 and 17, were very close with their father and lost him “when they needed him most.”
McCalla’s arrest, the elder Francis said, did not make him feel any better.
“There’s no way one should be allowed to be on public transportation with weapons of that magnitude,” he added. “Everything is broken, everything is dark. I'm just here trying to put my mind in a better place where some light is shining.”
McCalla’s arraignment was pending in Brooklyn Criminal Court midday Wednesday and information for his lawyer was not immediately available.
This story is based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
brooklyn
cypress hills
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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