Chinese student was mugged in same park where woman was slain

A Chinese overseas student was mugged by three youths in the same New York City park three months before the fatal stabbing of another college student, according to a published report.

Yao Yu, 20, an international student studying mathematics at Columbia University, an Ivy League school in Manhattan, had been in the United States four days when he was robbed at knifepoint on Aug 27, while descending steps in Morningside Park at 116th Street and Morningside Drive, the New York Post reported.

Yu said he was walking home from class in the afternoon when he was approached by three suspects, one wielding a knife and another a stick, police said.

"They asked me where I was from and if I had any money. At first, I didn't think they were threatening me, so I told them I didn't have any money. Then, they showed me an open knife, so I gave them my wallet and they took my money," Yu told the Post on Friday.

"I was surprised this happened to me. Before I came, I heard that New York is pretty safe, but I encountered these things, and it's really unfortunate," he said.

When Yu went to the NYPD about the incident, he was told that several people had been robbed in the same place "by the same teenagers" but police couldn't do much about it because "they aren't adults".

"When I heard about the girl who was killed, I thought it was the same group of teenagers, and I was scared," said Yu, who said he would be taking the campus shuttle bus in the future. "I feel very sorry for her."

The killing of Tessa Majors, 18, of Charlottesville, Virginia, a freshman at prestigious Barnard College, happened in the same spot in the park on Dec 11.

Three youths also were reportedly involved in her slaying, which has drawn widespread media attention and raised fear at the women's college that is affiliated with Columbia.

A 13-year-old is in custody in connection to the homicide, and another teenager is being sought in the case. A third youth was questioned by police and released.

Majors was known as an ebullient young woman with an interest in journalism.

She also played in a punk rock band that already had released an album.

The Post reported over the weekend, citing police sources and a college friend, that Majors may have been looking to buy marijuana in the park.

On Sunday, NYPD Sergeants Association President Ed Mullins, speaking on a New York radio show, repeated that assertion and criticized the city for what he said was leniency on marijuana smoking.

"We don't enforce marijuana laws anymore," he said. "We're basically hands-off on the enforcement of marijuana."

Mullins also criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio's comments after Majors' killing.

"I understand the mayor made statements that this is surprising on how this can happen in New York City," he said. "I really have to question what world he's living in to think that this is surprising, when we are watching the city slowly erode, with shootings, stabbings, an increase in homicides and, most importantly, a hands-off policing policy."

On Monday, Majors' family condemned Mullins' comments, saying the victim was being blamed "for her own murder".

De Blasio also called the remarks "heartless" and victim-shaming.

According to NYPD data, there have been 20 robberies in the park so far this year, compared with seven in 2018.

Maria Lopez, 61, a longtime Morningside Heights resident, told The New York Times that Majors' death was a stark reminder of when the city was much more dangerous.

"When I was growing up and even in my 20s, you never came to this park, daytime or nighttime," said Lopez, adding that she had spent her entire life in the area."You didn't even walk on Morningside Drive."

At a news conference Thursday, de Blasio said the NYPD immediately increased patrols in the area after Majors' slaying.

"Students and people in the neighborhood will see more patrolling officers in the neighborhood, and this will be done in conjunction with Columbia public security who are already stationed in the area," said Olivia Lapeyrolerie, De Blasio's deputy press secretary, according to the Columbia Spectator, the university student newspaper.