Funeral arrangements set for slain EMT Alison Russo-Elling
Funeral arrangements have been made for veteran FDNY EMT Alison Russo-Elling, who was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack in Queens on Thursday.
The wake for the 61-year-old first responder will be held Monday and Tuesday at the Commack Abbey Funeral Home in Commack, according to the Long Island funeral home’s website.
Russo-Elling’s funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the Tilles Center, located at 720 Northern Boulevard in Brookville on the LIU Post campus. She will then be cremated in a private ceremony.
The 25-year FDNY veteran and 9/11 responder was on duty and had walked a half block from her unit to get something to eat when she was stabbed nearly 20 times near 20th Avenue and 41st Street in Astoria around 2:20 p.m. Thursday.
Suspect Peter Zisopoulos, 34, was shortly after the horrific attack after barricading himself inside his nearby apartment, cops said.
He was charged Friday with murder and weapons possession.
According to police sources and disturbing video of the incident, Zisopoulos allegedly slammed Russo-Elling to the ground, mounted her and then repeatedly stabbed her.
A witness who’d been driving by on a scooter confronted the brute, but he snarled, “F–k you, f–k you!” before stepping away from the victim and charging at the man while still holding the bloodied knife, police sources said.
Zisopoulos fled the scene, leaving Russo-Elling unresponsive on the ground, according to sources and the video.
Russo-Elling, described by her union as “the sweetest, kindest person you’ve ever met,” was only six or seven months away from retirement, Vincent Variale, president of Local 3621, told reporters outside the hospital where the paramedic succumbed to her injuries.
She joined the FDNY as an EMT in March 1998 and was promoted to a paramedic in 2002 before becoming a lieutenant in 2016.
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