USA: Man In Mask Shoots People In New York Subway
A massive manhunt was underway Tuesday in New York for a man who shot 10 people on a packed subway train.
In the USA's New York’s Brooklyn on Tuesday 12th April there was a subway train going towards the 36th Street station at 08:30 am. There were 40 to 50 people inside one of the cars. Suddenly an unidentified man wearing a gas mask, construction type vest and a gray hoodie, exploded 2 smoke bombs and fired on the people. People did not think that it was a shooting because it sounded like fireworks. People began running towards the next coach, but the door to the next car was locked. There were people in that other car that saw what was happening. And they tried to open the door, but they couldn't. Once the train finally reached the platform, the doors opened. People rushed out without their bags and shoes, and they just left everything to just get out of there as soon as possible. The attacker too escaped when the train stopped. Videos and images showed passengers lying on the smoky station platform with injuries and blood. Police were called and they immediately started the investigation. However they said that this is not being investigated as an act of terrorism at this time. Officers are still working to establish a motive for the attack.
Police said that 10 people were hit directly by gunfire, five of them were hospitalised in critical but stable condition. 13 more people suffered from smoke inhalation or were injured in the chaos as panicked people fled the smoke-filled subway car. None of the injured are believed to be in a life-threatening condition. Police recovered a Glock 17 nine-millimeter handgun three additional ammunition magazines and a hatchet from the scene. New York Police have named a "person of interest" in the investigation as Frank James. He is believed to have rented a U-Haul vehicle. The police have tracked down the vehicle, but the suspect wasn't there. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said a security camera system in the 36th Street & 4th Avenue subway station had a malfunction (not working). The malfunction was very weird. They are now checking if the problem was only with one camera or all the cameras on the platform and they are also checking if someone purposely fidgeted with the camera. He said the issue is under investigation.
One day before the incident, President Biden had announced new gun control measures. He put a lot of restrictions on so-called "ghost guns," which are difficult-to-trace as they can be assembled at home. Responding to the attack, President Joe Biden expressed gratitude to "all the people who jumped into action, including civilians who didn't hesitate to help their fellow passengers." After the attack New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “These mass shootings have to stop. People have gone mad in New York city and this has to stop. We will not tolerate this.” In the US, there is constantly news about people shooting in schools, public places, concerts, etc. Such mass shootings have become very common in the US. This has been on the rise in the last 2 years. Shootings in New York City have also risen this year. 75% of all homicides in the United States are committed with guns. Still there is an increase in the number of pistols, revolvers and other firearms sold.
