NEW YORK, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A madman disguised as a construction worker turned a Brooklyn subway car into a bloodbath during the early-morning rush Tuesday, setting off smoke bombs before opening fire and wounding 29, officials said.
The shooter — who has yet to be apprehended — was wearing a neon orange and green construction vest and a neon green helmet and muttering to himself on a Manhattan-bound N train when he unleashed bloody havoc just before 8:30 a.m.
The gunman suddenly put on a gas mask and released two smoke grenades as the car pulled into the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, cops said.
As the crowded subway car filled with smoke, the shooter took out a 9mm semiautomatic Glock and fired 33 rounds at commuters, hitting 10 victims and leaving at least 19 others wounded. Those hurt included two teens ages 15 and 19, a pregnant woman who was shot in the leg, seven men and three women, law-enforcement sources said.
Of the ten victims hit by gunfire, five were listed in critical but stable condition, while others suffered from smoke inhalation and other related injuries.
Police later identified Frank James, 62, as a “person of interest” in the shooting but have not yet determined if he was the triggerman.
The gun used by the shooter, who had three extended magazines on him, jammed in the midst of the bloodshed. One of the magazines was found in a backpack, the other on a seat and the third in the weapon.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the shooting isn’t being investigated as an act of terrorism at the moment and noted none of the victims were of a particular ethnic group, but she also added that no motive has been ruled out.
Following a search of the scene, police recovered the jammed gun and the extended magazines, which are capable of holding more bullets than the standard number of rounds found in a typical clip.
Cops also found a slew of other weapons, including a hatchet, a can of pepper spray, two gas canisters, gasoline, two non-detonated smoke grenades, a bag full of fireworks and another satchel holding what appears to be BB pellets at the scene, police and sources said.
Several “undetonated devices” were also around at the scene, the FDNY said, and shortly after, the NYPD tweeted “There are no active explosive devices at this time.”
The FDNY transported 16 patients to NYU Langone of Brooklyn, Kings County Hospital, Methodist Hospital and Maimonides Hospital and another 13 walked themselves to the infirmary.
By late Tuesday, many had been released.
During an afternoon news briefing, a visibly angry Gov. Kathy Hochul decried the bloodshed.
“We say no more — no more mass shootings, no more disrupting lives, no more creating heartbreak for people just trying to live their lives as normal New Yorkers. It has to end, and it ends now,” Hochul said.
“We are sick and tired of reading headlines about crime, whether mass shootings or the loss of a teenage girl or a 13-year-old. It has to stop,” she continued, adding she is “committing the full resources” of the state to cut down on crime.
Mayor Eric Adams, who is currently isolated with COVID-19, urged New Yorkers to come forward with any information.
“The suspect in today’s attack detonated smoke bombs to cause havoc. We will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized even by a single individual. The NYPD is searching for the suspect at large, and we will find him, but we ask the public to come forward with any information that may help us in this investigation,” Adams said.
“I wish to thank all of the first responders who responded to the scene or at the local hospitals, helping with today’s incident. You are what make New York the greatest city in the world, and I thank you for supporting your fellow New Yorkers.”
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident and was in communication with New York officials.
Mass casualty shootings happen with relative frequency in the United States, where firearms are involved in approximately 40,000 deaths a year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.
Shootings in New York City have risen this year, and the uptick in violent gun crime has been a central focus for Mayor Eric Adams since he took office in January. Through April 3, shooting incidents rose to 296 from 260 during the same period last year, according to police statistics.
The incident came just a day after US President Joe Biden announced new gun control measures, increasing restrictions on so-called “ghost guns”, the difficult-to-trace weapons that can be assembled at home.
Lax gun laws and a constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms have repeatedly stymied attempts to clamp down on the number of weapons in circulation, despite greater controls being favored by the majority of Americans.
Three-quarters of all homicides in the United States are committed with guns, and the number of pistols, revolvers and other firearms sold continues to rise. — NNN-AGENCIES
