New York City Michael Bloomberg warned city residents not to feel unsafe after a suspected murder at a subway station, claiming one sensational event does not negate the downward trend of homicide in the region.

"It's a very tragic case, but what we want to focus on today is the overall safety in New York," Bloomberg said Friday. The Associated Press characterized his statement as a call to keep the incident in "perspective."

Bloomberg urged President Barack Obama to take "immediate action" to beef up gun control the day of the tragic mass murder at Sandy Hook elementary school. Violent crime has trended downward in the United States for the past five years, according to FBI data.

Police arrested Erika Menendez, 31, Saturday on charges of pushing Sunando Sen, 47, in front of a Queens subway train, which killed him on impact. Prosecutors say Menendez told police she pushed Mr. Sen, a man of Indian descent, because she thought he was Hindu or Muslim.

Earlier in December, a homeless man allegedly killed a subway patron by pushing him into the path of a train in a Times Square station. After his arrest, the man claimed he pushed the victim in self-defense.