A gunman entered a crowded morning rush-hour New York subway car yesterday in Brooklyn, put on a gas mask, filled the car with thick black smoke, and opened fire on passengers. At least 29 were injured, including 10 with gunshot wounds.
The shooter fled the scene and remains at large. Authorities later named Frank James as a person of interest in connection to the shooting.
Found at the scene were a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, extended bullet magazines, a hatchet, a black garbage can, smoke grenades both detonated and undetonated, and a key to a U-Haul van.
At an event in Iowa, President Joe Biden said authorities would not let up until the perpetrator was found, and thanked first responders as well as civilians who rushed to help passengers.
James, 62, rented the U-Haul in Philadelphia, where he has an address. He also has an address in Wisconsin. He was named a “person of interest,” not specifically a “suspect.”
James has appeared to have posted dozens of troubling videos on YouTube, where he riffs news events in long, vitriolic rants. He blamed Black women for violence in Black communities and said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows that whites are genocidal.
The shooting took place at 8:24 a.m. on an N train, which was bound for Manhattan, located between the 59th and 36th Street stations. After the shooting, people exited the 36th Street station in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. The platform showed wounded passengers lying on the ground while others administered tourniquets.
There is no known motive for the shooting.
The New York City police commissioner Keechant Sewell tried to calm nerves, saying that it was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, but later saying that the police are not ruling anything out.
At the scene included NYPD officers, FBI officers, and joint terrorism Taskforce agents.
New York has been grappling lately with some high-profile violent incidents, which has led the mayor to increase police patrols on the subway. As of now, officials still do not have anyone in custody. A huge $50,000 reward has been offered for any information.
Be the first to comment