BROOKLYN – At least 16 people have been shot or injured after a gasmask-wearing gunman attacked a subway in New York City this morning, detonating a smoke bomb and opening fire on commuters.
The attack began at 8:30 am local time on a Manhattan-bound N train. The gunman opened fire, shooting several people both on the train and on the platform at Brooklyn’s 36th Street station.
One woman, who was on the subway after dropping her daughter off at school, described the attack, “All you heard was a big, loud noise that sounded like a big bang, an explosion, and then there were people running out of the train station. So it was just very hectic this morning.”
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING:
Multiple people shot in the 36th street station in #Brooklyn. Multiple undetonated devices are also found. #NewYork pic.twitter.com/MouEEQKDrb
— Abhishek Gautam (@GautamPolitical) April 12, 2022
Very dramatic video from the incident as the subway arrived at 36th St Sunset Park in Brooklyn. #brooklyn #shooting #nyc pic.twitter.com/5cOdeYPIb1
— Kristoffer Kumm (@Kristofferkumm) April 12, 2022
“This perpetrator dropped those smoke cans, if that’s what they are, and shot around, and then exited from that point,” said retired NYC Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. “He’s not going to stay on there if there’s smoke on there, even if he has the filter mask.”
Five of the 10 victims who were shot are in critical but stable condition. None of the remaining victims sustained life-threatening injuries.
A manhunt for the shooter, who still remains at large five hours later, is underway. The suspect has been described as a black male, 5-foot-5 and 175 to 180 pounds, wearing a green construction vest and a gray hooded sweatshirt.
Additional unexploded smoke canisters were reportedly found on the scene, as well as gasoline cans, supporting the theory that this was a premeditated attack.
Mayor Eric Adams released a statement on the incident, saying “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.”
My statement on this morning's shooting in Brooklyn: pic.twitter.com/TbLfCZa7WW
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 12, 2022