A 12-year-old boy is recovering after being stabbed in the chest during a violent confrontation at a Brooklyn playground, an incident that has intensified concerns over a rise in youth violence across New York City.
Police say the attack happened Thursday afternoon, Dec. 18, shortly before 3 p.m. at the Imagination Playground inside Betsy Head Park, near Thomas S. Boyland Street and Dumont Avenue in Brownsville. The park, located near several schools, was crowded with children who had just been dismissed for the day.
According to investigators, the altercation began as a fistfight between two 12-year-old boys and quickly escalated when one of them pulled out a kitchen knife and stabbed the other in the chest. The victim, identified as Khayell Dupree, collapsed as bystanders rushed to get help.
Khayell was taken to Brookdale University Hospital in critical condition and later transferred to a specialized pediatric cardiovascular facility in Queens. As of Friday, Dec. 19, he was listed in critical but stable condition, police said.
“This is devastating,” said neighborhood resident Jordan Tucker, who spoke to ABC7 Eyewitness News at the scene. “No parent should have to hear that their child was stabbed after school.”
Video from ABC7 showed the playground transformed into a crime scene, cordoned off with yellow tape. A small kitchen knife could be seen on the ground alongside a backpack, jacket, and bloodied clothing as detectives canvassed the area. Witness accounts initially conflicted over how many children were involved, delaying formal charges.
Police took two juveniles into custody following the incident: a 12-year-old boy, now charged with attempted murder as a juvenile, and a 9-year-old who was questioned and later released to his parents after authorities determined he was not directly involved. The identities of all minors have not been released.
Khayell’s mother told the New York Post that there had been “some kind of ongoing beef,” possibly related to school, but she said she did not know how the dispute escalated so violently.
The Brownsville stabbing came the same afternoon as another youth-related knife attack in Queens, where a brawl near Seneca Avenue left a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old hospitalized. No arrests had been announced in that case as of Friday.
Together, the incidents underscore a troubling trend. NYPD data show juvenile assaults citywide are up about 15 percent in 2025 compared with last year. In Brooklyn’s 73rd Precinct, which includes Brownsville, felony assaults have risen roughly 27 percent year over year.
The case involving the 12-year-old suspect will proceed in family court. Meanwhile, investigators say the circumstances surrounding the fight remain under review as Khayell Dupree continues his recovery.
