Man Killed After Asking For Cigarette In Hell's Kitchen: NYPD

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A man beat another man to death with a cane in Hell's Kitchen last week after the victim asked him for a cigarette, according to police.

The assault happened around 3:10 p.m. on Ninth Avenue, near the corner of West 44th Street. The victim, 54-year-old John Horton, asked 36-year-old Vincent Foster, for a cigarette, but Foster refused, police said.

Angered by the request, Foster began to argue with Horton, then took out a cane and struck him on the head, according to police. Responding to a 911 call about an assault, police found Horton suffering from head trauma.

Horton was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he died two days later on Oct. 1.

Both men were believed to be homeless, though Horton has a listed address in Pleasantville, N.Y. and Foster is from Alton, Ill.

Foster was arrested minutes after the assault and has been charged with felony assault, police said. An investigation is ongoing.