Homeless man charged in subway pushing death of Queens father

Police charged a homeless man Wednesday in the death of a Queens father who was pushed into the path of an oncoming subway train in Times Square, police said.

Naeem Davis, 30, is charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder and depraved indifference in the death Monday of Ki-Suck Han, 58, of Elmhurst, according to the NYPD.

Police said Davis made incriminating statements to detectives hours after he was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at 50th Street and Seventh Avenue, just a block north of where the gruesome death happened, police said. An official declined to say what the suspect told detectives.

Han's family last night made its first remarks about the tragedy, with his 20-year-old daughter, Ashley, saying "he was always there for me."

"The thought of someone helping him up in a matter of seconds would have been great," she said, according to published reports. But "what's done is done."

She added: "I just wish I had one last chance to tell my dad how much I love him."

A subway passenger's video of the moments before the push shows a man, identified by police as Han, in a heated argument with another man.

In the video, the unidentified man is shown yelling profanities and telling Han to leave him alone. Moments later, witnesses told police, the man pushed the Elmhurst resident from the platform. Other subway riders reported hearing the assailant talking to himself before pushing Han, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Han survived the fall to the well of the tracks, but could not climb back on to the platform before he was struck by a train pulling into the station. Han was in Manhattan on Monday to renew his Korean passport, according to police.

Lorraine Condos, still visibly shaken by the death, said she was getting off the train after it struck Han. "It wasn't a jolt - it was a 'voom,' " Condos said.
Detectives were told by people in the area near the station that the man seen on the video resembled someone who often helped street vendors, according to the police official.

On Tuesday, Kelly said that police were offering a $12,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Han's death.

Asked by reporters if other subway riders could have done more to help Han get out of danger, Kelly said he wasn't in a position to answer. "I wasn't there so I can't comment on that," Kelly said.