NYC man convicted of killing 9/11 first responder in 'unprovoked attack' steps away from her station

QUEENS, N.Y. (TCN) -- A jury found a 37-year-old man guilty of fatally stabbing a longtime employee of the Fire Department of New York with a serrated knife and chasing a bystander who tried to help.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday, May 19, that Peter Zisopoulos was convicted of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the death of FDNY Lt. Alison Russo.

On Sept. 29, 2022, at 2:10 p.m., Russo was walking on 41st Street near 20th Avenue in Queens when Zisopoulos left his apartment building, "charged at Russo and shoved her to the sidewalk." Zisopoulos then "repeatedly plunged a kitchen knife" into Russo’s chest and abdomen. The knife punctured her liver, heart, and lungs. She was on duty when the "unprovoked attack" occurred.

A bystander on a scooter attempted to intervene by shouting at Zisopoulos, but Zisopoulos yelled at the man and chased him with the knife. Another bystander ran to the nearby fire station for help. Zisopoulos went back into his apartment with the knife and engaged in a standoff with NYPD officers after he refused to open his door. He eventually surrendered and was arrested. Katz said police found a knife in Zisopoulos' pocket, which had a mixture of his and Russo’s DNA on it.

Russo worked as an EMT for the FDNY for 24 years and even served as a first responder at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Russo was promoted to captain following her death.

FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said in a statement following the verdict, "Captain Russo was a hero and continues to be a source of inspiration and strength to her colleagues and to this department."

Zisopoulos will be sentenced in June and faces 25 years to life in prison.

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