Just hours before a Brooklyn grand jury indicted Sayed Mohassib on a top charge of second-degree murder in the killing of 28-year-old Katie Suarez, city and state leaders gathered Tuesday to demand long-awaited safety improvements along the Shore Parkway Promenade where Suarez was fatally stabbed.

Suarez was attacked on the bike path on Oct. 30. Police said she was stabbed multiple times in the neck.

Her death shocked the Bay Ridge community and reignited concerns about safety along a stretch of promenade residents say has lacked adequate lighting for years.

"For about a mile stretch between this bridge and Caesars Bay, including where Katie was killed, it is completely dark," said Council Member Kayla Santosuosso. "Our neighbors have been asking for better lighting on this promenade since long before Andrew or I took office, and now it is time to make it happen. In Katie's name."

Residents who frequent the promenade say safety concerns existed long before Suarez was killed. Santosuosso and state Sen. Andrew Gounardes are now urging both the state and the city's Department of Transportation to implement improvements ahead of a larger renovation project already planned for the corridor.

The promenade is slated for approximately $50 million in renovations in the coming years, but elected officials say immediate action is needed.

"We can increase lighting on the Belt Parkway, which provides a secondary illumination to the path. We can add lighting to the still-to-be-completed 17th Avenue pedestrian bridge. We can install solar-powered lights along the promenade," Santosuosso said. "There are myriad options of how to make this promenade safer."

Gounardes echoed those frustrations, arguing that agencies should move more quickly to address public safety concerns.

"You have opportunities to be able to build this infrastructure. It should not be this difficult," Gounardes said. "And to just say we can't do it because we haven't done it before, it seems to me like a cop-out of an answer. Whatever it takes to give people that sense of safety and security, we should be doing."

In the days following Suarez's death, questions emerged about why she may have been running alone after dark. Tuesday, however, elected officials and community members emphasized that everyone has a right to feel safe using public spaces regardless of the time of day.

"When reports about Katie Suarez's fatal stabbing first aired, there were questions about why she may have been out running late in the dark alone," Santosuosso said. "But the right to be safe on this promenade is a right that belongs to everyone."

Members of the local running community attended the news conference in support of Suarez and her family.

"We knew that Katie could have been any one of us," said Kristen Pettit, of Ridge Runners NYC. "And as a runner, she was one of us."

As the criminal case against Mohassib moves forward, community members say they hope Suarez's death will lead to meaningful changes that make the promenade safer for everyone who uses it.

Officials say improving lighting and visibility along the waterfront path would be a fitting way to honor Suarez's legacy and help prevent future tragedies.