Man Killed In Knife Fight At UWS Homeless Shelter, Police Say

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A man is facing charges for stabbing his roommate to death during a brutal fight in an Upper West Side homeless shelter, police said.

Geronal Washington, 22, was killed early Sunday morning during a knife fight with his 36-year-old roommate Robert Caballero at the Basics Housing Men's Homeless Shelter on West 83rd Street and Columbus Avenue, police said. The Caballero was also stabbed during the fight and is in the hospital, said police.

Caballero was charged with murder and criminal weapons possession Monday, an NYPD spokesman said.

Officers arrived at the West 83rd Street shelter shortly before 2 a.m. to find Washington suffering multiple stab wounds on the third floor of the shelter and his Caballero also suffering multiple stab wounds on the first floor, police said. Medics rushed Washington, who was unconscious and unresponsive to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said police.

Police did not disclose a motive for the deadly brawl, and said the homicide is still under investigation.

Basics Housing Men's Homeless Shelter employs ten guards who provide 24-hour security at the shelter, a city Department of Homeless Services spokesman said. The facility is also staffed by 12 full-time and one part-time social services workers. Across the city's shelter system arrests are down 17% in the first half of 2019 compared to the previous year, the spokesman said.

The spokesman could not offer specific information about Sunday morning's stabbing due to "client confidentiality."

"We mourn the individual life lost last night and offer our heartfelt condolences to this individual’s family, friends, and clients and staff on-site. We will provide them with any and all support that we can during this difficult time," a Department of Homeless Services spokesman said in a statement.

The Basics Housing Men's Homeless Shelter is operated by Acacia Network Housing Inc., a nonprofit that operates a number of shelters across the city, the New York Times first reported. The city launched a probe of the organization this year following reports that its CEO failed to disclose that he founded a company called SERA Security Services that was paid millions to provide security at Acacia shelters, the Wall Street Journal reported in July.