What we know about the suspect, attack
New Yorkers reeled from an attack Tuesday morning in Brooklyn as a gunman detonated a smoke bomb on the subway and shot many people, to the horror of commuters.
The gunman, still unidentified, shot 10 people before fleeing the station in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, law enforcement officials said. No one was detained as of Tuesday night.
Officer Frank James, 62, who rented a U-Haul van believed to be involved in the shootings, as an unsecured vested interests was at a news conference.
“We will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized by even one individual,” Mayor Eric Adams in a video statement. “The NYPD is looking for the suspect extensively, and we’re going to find him.”
Adams, who is in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, said police did not find any live explosives, but that the attacker detonated a smoke bomb to “cause havoc.” .
The attack happened in the morning on the way to work in Sunset Park, a neighborhood southwest of Brooklyn about 15 minutes by train from Manhattan.
NYC TRACKING:Officials say at least 10 people were shot, one multiple after the Brooklyn subway attack
Here’s what we know about the attack.
What happened in the NYC subway shooting?
As an N train running the Manhattan line waited to enter the 36th Street station during rush hour before 8:30 a.m., a man wearing a gas mask, took a box from his pocket and opened it, causing the carriage to load. smoke, said. New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell.
The man then opened fire, hitting several people on the subway and on the platform. Police said he fired at least 33 times, based on the number of shell casings found at the crime scene.
Video from the scene shared on social media showed the train car smoking as passengers fled, some limping off the train. Other videos show bloody passengers lying on the platform.
No explosives were found on the subway trains, Sewell said.
Who is the shooter?
Police are looking for the gunman, described as a Black male with a “heavy build” and wearing a green “construction type vest” and gray hooded sweater, Sewell said earlier on Tuesday.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called for vigilance and called the incident an “active shooting situation.”
“This individual is still loose,” she said. “This man is dangerous.”
In an interview with NY1Adams said the gunman “appears to have an approach to terrorize our systems.”
“Find out the source of why he did what he did, that’s what will come out once this investigation is complete,” Adams said. “We have nothing to discuss. We need to arrest the person, find out their background and get detailed information to give the appropriate classification.”
James, who is of interest, rented a U-Haul van in Philadelphia that police discovered Tuesday in Brooklyn. Police said U-Haul’s keys were found among other items recovered at the crime scene, including a 9mm weapon, magazines, a shotgun, fireworks and gasoline.
How many people were injured?
At least 29 people were treated in hospital for gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation and other conditions. Ten people were shot..
Five victims are in critical but stable condition. There were no life-threatening injuries, Sewell said.
“We’re really lucky that this hasn’t gotten significantly worse,” Sewell said at a news conference.
No Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers were injured, the Public Transportation Union of New York said in a statement.
The attack was not investigated as terrorism
Sewell said the attack is not currently being investigated as an act of terrorism but did not elaborate.
“We don’t know the motive at the moment, but we don’t rule anything out,” she said.
William Bratton, a former commissioner of the New York Police Department, said evidence that the attacker may have been motivated by ideological or political motives could emerge later in the investigation, adding that the attack took place in a predominantly Asian community amid a recent surge in violence. against Asian American communities.
“Is it terrorism or just a deranged individual? It’s a question that may take some time, but it will be worked out,” Bratton said.
What did Mayor Eric Adams say?
New York Mayor Eric Adams confirmed police did not find any live explosives and that the attacker used a smoke bomb to create “devastating devastation”.
Adams was absent from the scene and press conferences after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Although a suspect has not been arrested, Adams told MSNBC that authorities have recovered “solid evidence” and are “verifying” the possible identity of the gunman.
He believes that violence needs to be addressed at the national level.
“This is not just a New York City problem. This rage, this violence, the guns, these relentless shootings are an American problem,” Adams said at a news conference where he was told. remote live streaming.
Where is Sunset Park?
Sunset Park is a neighborhood in southwestern Brooklyn, about 15 minutes by train from Manhattan.
The neighborhood is dominated by Hispanic and Asian American communities: 34.8% of the neighborhood is Asian while 35.6% is Hispanic. , according to 2019 data from New York University’s Furman Center. About 46% of the population of the surrounding area are foreigners born in 2019.
Local schools, including Sunset Park High School, were closed following the shooting.
Train service is suspended
The subway station where the attack happened serves the D, N, and R lines, all of which run into Manhattan. Service on lines in Brooklyn and some stations in Manhattan has been suspended, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
Shooting occurs amid rising crime on the subway system
Governor Hochul said that New Yorkers are “tired and tired” of reading crime headlines.
“There are no more mass shootings,” she said. “No more disrupting lives. No more creating heartache for people just trying to live their lives like normal New Yorkers. It’s in a hurry to end now.”
The shooting comes amid a surge in crime in New York City’s subway system, where transit crime is up 68% so far in 2022 compared to 2021, according to NYPD statistics.
“I am devoting all the resources of the state to fighting the scourge of crime, the madness that is occupying our cities, because we want to return to normal,” Hochul said.
Contributors: Ryan W. Miller, Kevin McCoy, Gabriela Miranda, Kevin Johnson and Eduard Cuevas, USA TODAY; Related press
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.