The madman accused of fatally stabbing an FDNY lieutenant in Queens had previously been transported to the hospital by her EMS unit after he made anti-Asian threats online, law enforcement sources said Friday.
Lt. Alison Russo-Elling was not working for the EMS unit, Station 49, in Astoria at the time of the 2018 emergency call, but it’s still unclear if she may have crossed paths with Peter Zisopoulos before he allegedly attacked her Thursday afternoon and stabbed her 19 times with a steak knife.
The 34-year-old suspect, who was charged with second-degree murder and weapons possession raps Friday in connection with the horrific slaying, had been transported by the unit to Elmhurst Hospital in April 2018 for being emotionally disturbed, law enforcement sources said.
He had allegedly made anti-Asian threats over Facebook and was listed as diagnosed with schizophrenia, the sources said.
Russo-Elling didn’t arrive at EMS Unit, Station 49, which handled Zisopoulos’ emergency transport, until April 2021, the FDNY said.
Around 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Russo-Elling was on her lunch break when Zisopoulos suddenly ran toward her, threw her on the ground and stabbed her repeatedly in what FDNY Acting Commissioner Laura Kavanagh called a “barbaric and completely unprovoked attack.”
Amid the violence, a man driving by on a scooter witnessed the stabbing and confronted Zisopoulos in an attempt to stop the attack, law enforcement sources said.
“F–k you! F–k you!” the crazed assailant screamed as he started to chase down the witness with his bloodied knife, according to the sources.
The witness got back on his scooter and fled.
Russo-Elling had been with the FDNY for 24 years and spent her entire career working in Queens. At the time of her death, she had been about six months away from retirement.
