(NEW YORK) -- A 35-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her downtown Manhattan, New York apartment in what appeared to be a random attack.
Christina Yuna Lee got out of a cab at about 4:23 a.m. Sunday and was followed into her Chinatown apartment building in a moment caught on surveillance video, according to New York City police.
When officers responded to a 911 call from a neighbor who heard screaming, they were confronted by someone barricaded inside the apartment, police said.
Once officers were able to breach the apartment, they found Lee in her bathroom with multiple stab wounds from her own kitchen knife, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe the 25-year-old suspect, Assamad Nash, is homeless. He was taken into custody as he allegedly tried to flee the scene, authorities said, and has been charged with murder and burglary.
The attack appeared to be random.
Lee's employer, the digital music platform Splice, said in a statement, "Our hearts are broken. Always dedicated to making beautiful and inclusive artwork, Christina is irreplaceable. As we start to process this tragedy, we ask that you remember Christina Lee as the magical person she was, always filled with joy. We wish peace upon her family in their grief."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement, "I and New Yorkers across the city mourn for the innocent woman murdered in her home last night in Chinatown and stand with our Asian brothers and sisters today."
"The NYPD is investigating this horrific incident, and I thank them for apprehending the suspect," Adams said. "While the suspect who committed this heinous act is now in custody, the conditions that created him remain. The mission of this administration is clear: We won’t let this violence go unchecked.”