By Ivan Pereira
Police said they apprehended a suspect in the killing of a Rosedale teen who had sneaked out of her relative’s home and was stabbed late at night at a Brooklyn corner.
Rashad Salaam, 22, of MacDougal Street, was remanded after he was arraigned on second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges last Thursday in Brooklyn criminal court, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn district attorney’s office said.
Salaam is accused of murdering 16-year-old Kyanna Thomas by stabbing her in the neck around 3 a.m. Sept. 25 at the corner of MacDougal Street and Saratoga Avenue, according to investigators. Thomas, who lived with her mother, a corrections officer, in Rosedale was with a relative that weekend in Brooklyn and sneaked out to hang out with some friends past 11 p.m., police said.
Her parents could not be reached for comment as of press time Tuesday evening.
It was not clear why Thomas was killed or if she was Salaam’s alleged intended target, according to investigators. He was captured on a nearby surveillance camera walking away from the scene after the teen’s death, police said.
Thomas attended Brooklyn Latin High School and excelled in her studies, according to family friends. A makeshift memorial was created at the site where she was stabbed and hundreds of mourners, including City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), paid their respects to the girl’s family.
The nonprofit Blacks in Law Enforcement Alliance, founded by Jerome L. Rice, a former corrections officer and colleague of Thomas’ parents, offered a $1,000 reward for information regarding the teen’s case.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
