Police: 30-year-old man arrested in connection to fatal stabbing in Hempstead

Police say a man was arrested for fatally stabbing another man during a dispute Saturday in Hempstead.

News 12 Staff

Mar 8, 2020, 12:49 PM

Updated 1,674 days ago

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Police say a man was arrested for fatally stabbing another man during a dispute Saturday in Hempstead.
They say 30-year-old Westley Witts, who is homeless, in charged in the stabbing that claimed the life of a 39-year-old man.
It happened just before 5 p.m. Saturday at Forever Deli on Franklin Avenue. According to detectives, Witts and the other man were at the deli drinking beer when they got into a verbal argument.
The argument continued on the sidewalk outside of the deli, where police say it turned physical. The two men then ended up across the street in a municipal lot, and that's where police say Witts pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest.
Police say Witts was taken into custody not long after the stabbing. They say he was identified quickly, in part because of video from cameras in the area.
Witts is known to ask for food and money in the area, News 12 is told.
A motive for the deadly stabbing is under investigation, but police do not believe the two men knew each other.
Witts is charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.