A 41-year-old father of three was tragically killed on Mother’s Day weekend after a dispute over a seat on a New York City shuttle bus turned deadly. The victim, Alvin Francis of Queens, was stabbed during an argument and died from his injuries shortly afterward, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed.
A Dispute That Turned Tragic
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 11, on the J90 shuttle bus in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, near Crescent Street and Etna Street, according to NBC New York.
Police say Francis and another individual got into an argument over a seat. The dispute escalated quickly, and the suspect allegedly stabbed Francis in the stomach before fleeing the scene. Francis was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
As of Monday, May 12, no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
A Husband, Father, and Neighborhood Man
Francis’s wife, Candice Todman-Francis, 36, told the New York Daily News that his last words to her were, “See you when I get home.” But when he never came back, she began to worry.
“I hadn’t heard from him, so I tracked his phone and saw it at the precinct,” she recalled. When she called, officers soon came to their home with the heartbreaking news.
“He got into a tussle on the bus,” officers told her. “It’s under investigation. I have not one detail. I’m just as lost as everybody else.”
A Family’s Future Shattered
Francis and his wife had been together for 21 years and married five years ago. The couple had planned to renew their vows this August. They shared three sons and had been preparing to celebrate Mother’s Day with a family dinner that evening.
“He was a hardworking man,” Todman-Francis said. “Work and home — literally, work and home. His favorite place was Home Depot.”
She added that on Sunday, he had been working extra hours to save money for their son’s middle school graduation.
Community in Shock
Residents in the area are mourning the loss of a man they say was always kind and committed to his family.
“Everybody’s saddened by it,” one neighbor said. “He was a neighborhood guy. Family man. Hardworking. We’re just still processing it. It’s tough.”
Witnesses described chaos on the bus, with people running and screaming just before police arrived. One resident said, “In a matter of three seconds, the cops were here.”
A Call for Justice
The NYPD has not yet released any details about the suspect, and the case remains under investigation. The community and Francis’s family are left heartbroken, seeking answers and hoping the person responsible will soon be brought to justice.
