UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) — A New York City father was stabbed to death while defending his neighbors from a group of men trying to take a puppy on Friday, according to police and the victim’s sister.
Family members embraced outside the murder scene on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, overwhelmed by the pain of suddenly losing a loved one.
Alfred Soto, who lived in the Tower West Apartments on 96th Street and Columbus Avenue, was killed inside the building while helping a neighbor in need.
“He died a hero in my eyes,” said Soto’s sister, who declined to give her name.
The tragedy unfolded in the morning after Soto’s downstairs neighbor made a frantic phone call. Her boyfriend and a group of men allegedly barged into her apartment, threatening her daughter and attempting to take a dog.
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“He did what he had to do to protect children,” Soto’s sister explained.
Soto went into the apartment to help, his cousin said. “As he went inside, to my understanding, a scuffle broke out. He was jumped and stabbed multiple times,” said John Somwar, Soto’s cousin.