[UPDATE] 91-Year-Old Bed-Stuy Man Dies During Home Invasion

[UPDATE] 91-Year-Old Bed-Stuy Man Dies During Home Invasion
Decatur Street via Google Maps

[UPDATED: Thursday, October 12 at 3:50pm] Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams announced this afternoon that he is personally offering $1,000 for any information leading to arrests in connection to yesterday’s deadly home invasion.

“There are no words to properly capture the outrage our community is experiencing over the death of Waldiman Thompson, a 91-year-old resident of Decatur Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant who, along with his 100-year-old wife Ethlin, were the victim of a deadly home invasion,” Adams said. “This godly and big-hearted couple suffered a truly godless and heartless attack that has struck a blow deep in the soul of Brooklyn. Their tragedy is a tragedy for us all.”

Adams also requested the community’s assistance in helping Thompson’s widow pay for the funeral expenses. “I am also making a call out to our community, particularly my fellow black men, to step in with the funds necessary to pay for Waldiman’s funeral,” he said.

“We strive to make every corner of this borough a safe place to raise healthy children and families, in the name of community elders like the Thompsons who deserve to enjoy their golden years in peace,” Adams continued. “That mission is intensified today in their blessed memory.”

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT – An elderly couple were the victim’s of a home invasion Wednesday afternoon that left the 91-year-old husband dead.

Police say at approximately 3:30pm yesterday, officers responded to a call at a residence located on Decatur Street near Marcus Garvey Boulevard.

According to MSN.com, the 100-year-old wife told the officers that approximately four unknown people followed her into her ground-floor apartment and tied up her and her husband before ransacking their home. According to MSN, the couple own the building where the crime took place, and it is believed that large amounts of cash—rent collected from tenants, may have been kept in their home.

After the suspects left, the woman was able to untie herself and call 911. When police arrived to the scene, they found her husband, Waldiman Thompson, lying on the floor, still tied up and unresponsive. EMS transported him to Interfaith Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The woman was treated on the scene by EMS for superficial marks around her legs likely caused from being tied up. She was later taken to an area hospital for further evaluation.  Her injuries are not serious.

No arrests have been made yet and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.