US: Ivy League student fatally stabbed near campus in NYC; Here's all we know

A US Ivy League school graduate student was stabbed to death near the university's New York City campus. Davide Giri, of Columbia University, was fatally stabbed with a knife in the stomach when he was walking back to his apartment from soccer practice. The incident took place in Amsterdam Avenue, near the university's Manhattan campus, on Thursday night.

Originally from Italy, Giri stumbled and collapsed after he was knifed from the back. On being spotted by police, Giri was taken to the Mount Sinai-Saint Luke's Hospital, where he was declared dead, New York Post reported.

Who was Davide Giri?

A student of Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science, Giri came to the US about eight years ago for the love of New York, his friend told NY Post. He was born in Alba and grew up in Turin, Northern Italy, where his parents still live. Apart from being a football enthusiast, Giri had several University degrees under his belt. According to the Italian news agency, ANSA, Giri was also an active volunteer of the Santa Margherita Parish in Italy. The 30-year-old settled in Big Apple about five years ago after achieving a master's in computer engineering from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Giri's close friend, Cesare Mercurio remembers him as the person known for "emitting happiness" and for being the "warmest person" he ever met, as reported by NY Post.

Columbia University on Thursday confirmed the news of Giri's death through a Twitter post expressing condolences for the graduate student's untimely demise. President of the ivy league school, Lee Bollinger in an email on Friday said that the "news is both unspeakably sad and deeply shocking, as it took place only steps from our campus," the Associated Press reported. 

Gang member arrested in Giri's stabbing

New York Police Department cops arrested a 25-year-old member of the Every Body Killas gang from inside the park, as per sources quoted by NY Post. The suspect was identified as Vincent Pinkney, a resident of Manhattan who has 11 prior arrests for robberies dating back to 2012. Pinkney was also convicted of gang assault in 2015 along with three others in slashing a man in the face in Jamaica, Queens.

In the unprovoked knife frenzy, a 27-year-old man from Italy, Roberto Malaspina, was also stabbed in the torso. The victim was spotted by police at least 15 minutes after they located Giri. According to NY Post, witnesses told cops that the suspect had approached Giri from the back and knifed him before fleeing the Morningside Park. The second victim is currently in a stable condition. According to Columbia University's Twitter post, Malaspina had just arrived from Italy to begin several months as a visiting scholar at Columbia School of Arts. 

(Image: @GP16NYC/Twitter)