Suspect in East Village gay beating surrenders to cops
Gornell Roman, 39, surrendered at the 41st Precinct in the Bronx, just hours after Police Commissioner Ray Kelly identified him as the suspect. Credit: NYPD
A suspect wanted for beating a gay man in the East Village has turned himself in, police said Wednesday.
Gornell Roman, 39, surrendered at the 41st Precinct in the Bronx late Tuesday night, just hours after Police Commissioner Ray Kelly identified him as the suspect.
Roman is accused of yelling an anti-gay slur and attacking a drinking companion on Monday. Roman and the victim, Dan Contarino, lived at a nearby homeless shelter.
Kelly said Roman, who was awaiting arraignment on a charge of assault as a hate crime in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday, "snapped" after Contarino revealed he was gay.
The city has seen an increase in hate crimes against gays with 29 attacks reported this year compared with 14 during the same period in 2012, according to the NYPD.
-- amNewYork
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