Stabbing in Kingston barbershop leaves employee hospitalized

Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record
·2 min read

KINGSTON - A Kingston man was charged with assault after he allegedly stabbed another man in a barbershop on Broadway Thursday evening.

Kingston city police said Gunercindo Diaz-Diaz, 41, was first spotted by a state police trooper in the 600 block of Broadway at 6:10 p.m. Thursday, holding a knife to his throat and appearing to be threatening harm to himself.

Police said Diaz-Diaz did in fact cut his neck, causing a minor injury. The trooper used his Taser to subdue Diaz-Diaz and then placed him in handcuffs for his own safety. Kingston police officers arrived and assisted the trooper in giving first aid to Diaz-Diaz.

A Kingston Fire Department ambulance then took Diaz-Diaz to HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley Hospital in the city for further treatment.

Cold case: Bronx man arrested five years after Middletown shooting death of Sebastian Avilan-Medina

A victim of a stab wound was found shortly after that in a nearby barbershop on Broadway. Police said a 68-year-old employee of the barbershop, whom they did not further identify, was slashed more than once, allegedly by Diaz-Diaz, and suffered a severe wound to his abdomen.

A fire department ambulance also took him to HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley Hospital, where he was admitted for emergency surgery. Police said he was listed in serious condition after the surgery, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Police said Diaz-Diaz and the victim were not known to each other, and a motive for the stabbing has not yet been established.

Diaz-Diaz was released by the hospital around midnight. Kingston city police then arrested him and charged him with first-degree assault, a felony, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor.

Now legal: Ulster County's first cannabis dispensary opens in New Paltz

He was arraigned in Kingston City Court on Friday morning and sent without bail to the Ulster County jail. He is scheduled to reappear in court on May 7.

Diaz-Diaz was represented by the Ulster County Public Defender's office. A representative from that office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Police: Kingston man stabbed barbershop employee then threatened to cut his own neck