New York police say they are looking for a “person of interest” in connection with an attack on a subway train in Brooklyn in which 10 commuters were shot and at least 13 others injured.
James Essig, chief of police with the New York Police Department, on Tuesday night described the shooter as a black male who weighed about 5 feet 5 inches, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and sweatshirt neon jacket has high visibility.
Essig said that police recovered a 9mm Glock pistol, several unexploded smoke grenades and a hatch cover from the scene, as well as keys to a rented U-Haul moving truck in Philadelphia they had rented in Philadelphia. believed to be involved in the incident.
Police identified the van’s tenant, 62-year-old Frank R James, as a “person with an interest” in the case. They said James’ connection to the shooting remains unclear. No suspects have yet to be identified or arrested in connection with the shooting.
New York police commissioner Keechant Sewell said Tuesday night that while the five victims remained in critical condition, none of the injuries were life-threatening. She added that the incident was not being investigated as a terrorist incident.
The attack happened around 8:24 a.m. on the morning commute between 25th Street and 36th Street stations in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. Police said the shooter dropped two smoke grenades before opening fire on passengers, firing “at least 33 times” into the second car of the Manhattan-bound N train.
“As the train was coming into the station, the subject was wearing a gas mask, then he opened a container in his pocket and then the car blew up in smoke,” Sewell told reporters. “The suspect was in the carriage. The shooting started in the carriage.”
Mobile phone video shows panicked passengers rushing out of the subway car as it entered 36th Street station, with smoke and thick smoke billowing from the inside. The photos show the victim lying on a bloodstained pedestal. Several witnesses said they heard a loud explosion.
On Tuesday afternoon, US President Joe Biden tweeted: “Jill and I are praying for those injured in the New York City subway shooting. We are grateful to first responders and civilians who joined the action. My team has been in contact with city officials and we are working to support the field efforts. ”
Later at an event in Iowa, Biden added: “We’re not going to give it up until. . . We found the killer.”
Meanwhile, several local schools have been closed. The attack comes at a time when many New Yorkers are at risk of a dramatic increase in shootings and hate crimes that have put public safety at the top of the political agenda. .
The nation’s busiest subway system has been the scene of several gruesome attacks. That has spooked many residents over its use and prompted business leaders to call for improved security as they try to encourage workers and tourists to return to the still struggling city. to reopen after Covid-19 closed.
Dozens of ambulances and NYPD vehicles were lined up along 4th Avenue, which was blocked south of 35th Street. Hundreds of authorities, firefighters and city workers gathered at the scene, one child spacious street with italian food and chinese restaurant near sunset park metro station. At least three helicopters were circling overhead.
The neighborhood boasts large Hispanic and Asian communities, the latter of which has grown rapidly in recent years.
The attack reminiscent of the previous attack troubleincluding the partial explosion of a pipe bomb at a Times Square subway station in 2017 that injured four people and the 1992 shooting on the Long Island Railroad that left six people dead.
Additional reporting by Lauren Fedor in Washington
