Four days have passed since the residents of Corona, in the county of Queens, were disturbed after learning of the violent manner in which the Ecuadorian immigrant José Fernando Sumba González, from 35 years, and the authorities confirmed this Friday that so far no arrests have been made.
The NYPD assured that “there are no arrests at this time and the investigation is active and ongoing”, while Ikimulisa Livingston, spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney, mentioned that for now there is no news about the case, but it is still being investigated.
Neither the police nor The Prosecutor’s Office revealed whether they have identified any person as the alleged perpetrator responsible for the murder of the immigrant, who had been 13 years living in New York, but neighbors of the victim who preferred to remain anonymous, assured that the aggressor would be a new roommate, with whom the Ecuadorian lived, who had would have committed the homicide after a fight, which included alcohol.
“What I heard was that a guy who had recently moved there to the fourth floor of the house where José lived with more people was the one who killed him, but we don’t know more. They say that he was a Colombian with whom he drank a lot, ”said a mother of a neighbor of the building 100-13 of Avenida 40 Road, where the crime occurred. “I hope that the police capture him soon, because one is afraid to know that there is a murderer of that caliber on the street, because he stabbed him several times and took out his guts. It’s something horrendous”.
A neighbor of Dominican origin assured that González, aged 35, was a hard-working man who did not he had problems with no one, so the news of his murder took him by surprise.
“He worked as a cook in a restaurant and also in construction… he was a quiet kid. I never saw the other one who they say killed him, but I think there must be a lot of anger there, because even if you’re drunk, you don’t kill someone with such certainty”, said the neighbor.
José Hernández, a resident of Corona, who claimed to know the victim, asked that the case be clarified soon.
“ I hope the police catch José’s killer soon. He was a good boy who worked hard to support his teenage son who lives in Ecuador. It is very sad that this has happened“, said the also Ecuadorian.
The police assured that the immigrant, originally from the province of Azogues, in Ecuador, was found dead on Tuesday 31 of May, at approximately 6: 08 hours of the night, after receiving a call to 911 indicating that the man, who lived in 100-24 Avenue 40 Road.
“Upon arrival, the officers observed a man from 35 years with severe torso trauma. Emergency crews responded and pronounced the man assisted dead at the scene,” the NYPD said. “The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the exact cause of death. The investigation is ongoing at this time”.
We contacted the Ecuadorian Consulate in New York to find out what kind of help they are providing to González’s family and if they will provide any service to transport the body to Cuenca.
Another tenant of the apartment, located on the fourth floor of the Corona building, where mostly Hispanic families live, was the one who discovered the dead Ecuadorian in his room, after hitting repeatedly and not receiving response, as revealed by the victim’s niece, Erika Sumba.
“What we want is justice. Nothing is going to bring him back alive. Let them pay for what they did to him”, said the young woman when talking about her uncle, who died from three stab wounds: one to the head, another to the neck and the most serious to the abdomen.
The NYPD asked the community for help to clarify this crime, and assured that those who know something can reveal it in total confidentiality, by calling the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-100-57-CLUE.