Brooklyn man stabbed to death 4 blocks from fatal stabbing 3 hours earlier

A 35-year-old Brooklyn man was knifed to death four blocks from where a neighbor was fatally stabbed just three hours earlier, cops said Thursday.
Ralph Hand was stabbed in the right arm and suffered a deep cut to the right side of his head during a clash with two men on Marconi Place near Atlantic Ave. in Ocean Hill about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, cops said.
Medics rushed Hand to Kings County Hospital but he could not be saved. He was two blocks from home when he was stabbed, cops said.
His shocked neighbors said Hand was the father of a pre-teen son.
“He was a really really nice guy,” longtime neighbor Alexis Bargas said. “He didn’t have any enemies. He was a great father.”
Bargas said Hand moved out a month ago but would often stop by.
“I knew him as a good neighbor and would speak to him while going in an out of the house. He would ask me often if I needed something or my kids need anything,” she said.  “I saw him a week ago when he stopped by to see if he had any mails for him here.”
Witnesses told cops Hand was arguing with a rival when the dispute turned physical.
Video surveillance footage recovered at the scene by cops shows Hand fighting with one man, when the second man, sporting a black hoodie and dreadlocks, jumps in to help out Hand’s opponent.
The first man appeared to be losing the fight with Hand when the second man stepped and stabbed him, police sources said..
Both men fled the scene following the stabbing. No arrests have been made.
Hand was conscious when police arrived but refused to cooperate with investigators as he was rushed to the hospital, a police source said.
A GoFundMe created to cover Hand’s funeral expenses said the circumstances around his death are “incomprehensible and leave a void that feels impossible to fill.”
“The shock and sorrow ripple through our family and community, reminding us of how fragile life can be,” the GoFundMe says. “It’s hard to reconcile the joy Ralph brought to our lives with the pain of his absence.”
Police said Hand had a criminal record and had been repeatedly arrested on narcotics-related charges. He was charged with assault in 2006. His last arrest was for turnstile jumping in August, police said.
The GoFundMe describes Hand as having “a vibrant soul whose laughter could fill any room.”
“Ralph’s life was a tapestry of experiences, woven with moments of joy, love, and adventure,” the post read. “Whether he was sharing stories over dinner or lending a helping hand to those in need, he had a unique ability to make everyone feel valued and understood. His presence brought comfort and happiness, and the memories we shared will always be cherished.”
The 73rd Precinct, which covers Ocean Hill and Brownsville, has seen a nearly three-fold jump in homicides so far this year compared to the same period last year.
As of Oct. 27, before Wednesday’s back-to-back homicides, the precinct had seen 16 killings this year compared to six during the same timeframe last year.
Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, 34-year-old Kelvin Reynoso was stabbed multiple times all over his body four blocks away on Atlantic Ave. near Monaco Place. He died at Brookdale University Hospital.
The accused killer, Devon Elliott, 29, ran across the street into his apartment in the same building where his victim lived and refused to come out when cops came knocking. After about two hours he finally surrendered and was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.
“He was a beautiful human being. He was amazing. He was a wonderful person,” said Maria Sanchez, a relative of Reynoso’s. “He was harmless. He harmed no one.”
“He didn’t deserve this,” she added. “That was horrifying.”
The relative said she wasn’t sure if Reynoso knew his killer from the building where they both lived.
Elliott killed Reynoso with a kitchen knife that was recovered inside his apartment, cops said.
Investigators later charged him with murder and weapon possession.
Elliott’s arraignment for murder and weapon possession was pending in Brooklyn Criminal Court Thursday.
Reynoso had been arrested twice, the most recent for marijuana possession in 2012, cops said. Elliott does not have a criminal record.
On Thursday, the building the two men lived in remained taped off. An NYPD Crime Scene van was parked outside as detectives continued their investigation.
Neighbors left a small memorial outside the building for Reynoso, who they said lived alone.