Man charged in subway shoving attack was released from psychiatric evaluation hours earlier: Officials

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NEW YORK - The man accused of killing an elderly man by shoving him down a stairway at a Chelsea subway station was released from a psychiatric evaluation just hours before the attack, according to officials. On Saturday, he made his first court appearance.

What we know:

Rhamell Burke, 32, was charged with second-degree murder for the May 7 attack. 

According to police, surveillance video showed Burke violently shoving a man down the stairs at the 18th Street subway station around 9:30 p.m. that day. Officers said the video showed the man, later identified as 76-year-old Ross Falzone, flying into the air and hitting his head on the steps, before landing at the bottom of the staircase.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 76-year-old man dead after being shoved down subway stairs, sources say

Rhamell Burke

Paramedics took Falzone to Bellevue Hospital, where he died from his injuries overnight.

Burke was arraigned in court Saturday on the murder charge, and a judge ordered that he be held without bail. 

Suspect was released from psychiatric hospital hours before attack

Dig deeper:

According to Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office, Burke was taken to Bellevue hospital for a psychiatric evaluation on Saturday, just hours before allegedly pushing the man down the stairs.

Officials said he was released after about one hour, then discharged.

Police sources also told FOX 5 NY that Burke has been arrested four times since February.

What they're saying:

Mamdani called for an investigation into NYC Health + Hospitals / Bellevue’s handling of Burke's psychiatric evaluation. 

"I am horrified by the killing of Ross Falzone and the circumstances that led to it," the mayor said in a press release. "New Yorkers deserve answers."

What's next:

Burke is due again in court on May 14.