Man suspected of bashing Asian women in face with hammer is found dead
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 24 June, 2015, 9:14am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 24 June, 2015, 9:14am
Associated Press in New York
Tyrelle Shaw with fashion designer Vivienne Tam, in a photo posted by Shaw to his blog. Photo: SCMP Picture
A man suspected of bashing Asian women in the face with a hammer in a series of brutal, racially motivated attacks in New York city has been found dead in an apparent suicide, police said, just days after he detailed in an online blog a plot to attack the women and then kill himself.
Tyrelle Shaw, 25, was found hanged in an elevator shaft in an apartment building Monday, police said on Tuesday. Shaw was wanted for four attacks on Asian women two weeks ago.
In each instance, the attacker hit the victim in the face with a hard object. The victims suffered minor injuries.
Meanwhile, Shaw had detailed online his plan to attack any Asian woman he encountered. In a series of rants posted on his blog “Mr. Talent,” Shaw wrote that he had “been rejected by women my entire life.”
He said he tried to strike up conversations with more than 100 Asian women one weekend and was rejected every time.
“Every Asian woman by herself must be hit in the face,” he wrote. “I may even take a photo before hitting them. The reason is because I don’t think Asian women like me ... so I think it’s brilliant to give all Asian women a legitimate reason to hate me.”
Shaw grew up in New York City. He was homeless at the time of the attacks, said chief of detectives Robert Boyce. He had 10 prior arrests, all for nonviolent crimes, Boyce said.
In a June 17 post titled “Why I decided to leave earth,” Shaw admitted attacking one victim.
“I didn’t even expect to bash the dry cleaning lady in the mouth,” he said. “That was actually my day off from playing the Nose Game. Yeah, that’s what I’ll call it, ‘The Nose Game.’ “
In the same post, Shaw wrote about his suicide plot, saying he planned to use a noose at the bottom of an elevator.
Tenants at the building where Shaw’s body was found said they became suspicious after smelling a mysterious odour for several days. Shaw had no known ties to the building, and it was unclear how he gained access to the elevator shaft.
Police found a suicide note confessing to the attacks and a bag with a hammer inside— which police suspect was the weapon used in the attacks— under Shaw’s body in the elevator shaft, Boyce said.
