On Wednesday afternoon, Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Garnder announced that 16-year-old Michael Pettiford was facing a murder charge in the death of Daij Asante Thomas, 19.
At approximately 12:45 a.m. Saturday, members of the Yonkers Police Department responded to the theater on Fitzgerald Street on a report of a fight with a person stabbed as a movie was ending.
Upon arrival, officers located Thomas in the lobby of the theater with a stab wound to his chest, Yonkers Police said. Officers immediately provided aid and assisted transporting Thomas to a local area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.
Officers cordoned off the area and established a crime scene. Detectives from the Major Case Unit and Crime Scene Unit responded and began processing the scene.
Multiple persons present in the lobby at the time of the incident were interviewed. Multiple sources of surveillance video are also being reviewed, according to Yonkers Police.
Thomas was approached by Pettiford in the lobby of the theater, police said, adding that it appears both parties may have known each other.
A dispute ensued resulting in a fight between the two parties, ending with Pettiford allegedly fatally stabbing Thomas with a knife before fleeing the theater, police said, noting that a weapon was recovered at scene.
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