On Staten Island on Wednesday, a black-clad masked suspect stabbed to death a former NYPD officer terminated for allegedly beating up the mother of his child.
The deceased has been identified as 37-year-old Nicholas Nelson, according to the New York Post.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the New York City Police Department declined to formally identify the victim pending notification of next of kin.
About 7:55 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a 911 call about a man being stabbed in front of 25 Elizabeth Street. A 37-year-old man was discovered with a stab wound to his neck by officers when they arrived. Richmond University Medical Center pronounced the male dead upon arrival.
According to police, the investigation continues.
The Post reports that Nelson, who was fired in 2021 from the NYPD, got into an argument with another man while walking with his children. Nelson brought his children home before continuing the argument, sources said. The suspect, who was dressed all in black and wearing a ski mask, allegedly knifed Nelson in the neck and fled in an unknown direction. No weapons were recovered.
After joining the NYPD in 2008, Nelson was terminated by the department in May 2021 after disciplinary proceedings. In 2019, he was charged with beating up his girlfriend, leading to his suspension and demotion.
According to documents from his police disciplinary hearings, on March 16, 2019, he got into a fight with his girlfriend, who is the mother of at least one of his children, in which he “punched her repeatedly, pulled her hair, and dragged her to the floor.”
Nelson was attempting to be removed from her by a relative at the home. After punching and choking the relative, he stormed out of the house, breaking the window of another house in the process. She was left bleeding and with cuts and swelling in her face.
Having pleaded guilty to a physical fight with a woman with whom he shared a child in 2012 and agreed to counseling, Nelson forfeited 20 vacation days. It was unclear whether that woman was involved in the 2012 altercation.
During a drunk driving accident in August 2018, Nelson collided with another vehicle, according to documents. Documents show he was off duty at the time of the accident, and he acknowledged he was “unfit for duty at that time due to his alcohol consumption, that he failed to safeguard his firearm, and that he did not possess his shield,” according to the documents.
As a result of his DUI conviction, he was suspended for 30 days.