Megan Geall
New York Police Chief of Detectives James W. Essig has named a ‘person of interest’ in connection with the New York subway shooting that took place in rush hour on Tuesday morning. The ‘person of interest’ has been identified as Frank James. However, police say that he is not a suspect and only wish to talk to him about his connections to the attack.
What Happened?
Shortly before 8:30 am on Tuesday 12th April 2022, a man was seen wearing a construction vest and helmet as well as a gas mask on a crowded N train approaching the 36th Street station in the Sunset Park neighbourhood. The man, described as dark-skinned, 5-foot-5 and 180 pounds, tossed gas canisters onto the floor of the subway train car before opening fire. The shooter opened fire with a Glock 9 mm handgun, shooting 33 rounds that struck the 10 gunshot victims with another 13 being injured, leaving a total of 23 wounded in the attack.
Footage shows panicked crowds on New York City train after Brooklyn subway shooting https://t.co/qEWeLEAUob pic.twitter.com/34A3hMghXd
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) April 12, 2022
What We Know (So Far)
Officials are searching for the suspect, who fled the scene and is still at large. They are appealing to the public for any information regarding the gunman. So far, the ‘person of interest’, Frank James, has not been named as a suspect but is believed to be in some way connected to the gunman. James, 62, rented a U-haul van in Philadelphia. The key of this U-haul van was later found in a collection of belongings on the train that police believe belonged to the gunman. Police later discovered the same U-Haul van abandoned five blocks away from the Kings Highway station, where they say the gunman had boarded the subway.
“‘This is not being investigated as an act of terrorism at this time.'”
No victims of the attack are believed to be in life-threatening conditions, however, five individuals are in a critical but stable condition. Most of the victims were treated for injuries related to gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation or injuries from the initial panic.
Officers are still trying to find a motive for the attack, with the New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell stating: “This is not being investigated as an act of terrorism at this time.”
Official Response to the Attack
With investigations ongoing, President Joe Biden responded to Tuesday morning’s events by expressing gratitude to “all the first responders who jumped into action, including civilians who didn’t hesitate to help their fellow passengers.”
It is certainly possible that the public will view this attack as evidence of the growing issue of gun violence in US cities. In the last two years, there has been a troubling rise in gun-related incidents in many US cities with nine major cities breaking their previous annual homicide records in 2021. It is believed that this is a symptom of the pandemic, increases in gun sales as well as general social unrest following the murders of people like George Floyd.
“This insanity that is seizing our city has to stop,” commented New York Governor Kathy Hochul after the attack. “We say no more. No more mass shootings. No more disrupting lives.”
Featured image courtesy of Michael Discenza via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Megan Geall
Megan is a 23-year-old recent English and American Literature graduate and aspiring journalist. Her interests include food, fitness, lifestyle writing and dance!
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