New York City commuters scrambled for cover after an ‘aggressive’ rider was shot in the head on a subway train during rush hour on Thursday.
The shooting occurred on a northbound A train in Brooklyn shortly after 4.45 pm, when a verbal dispute between two strangers escalated into a fight.
A 32-year-old man boarded the train at the Nostrand Avenue stop and was approached by a 36-year-old man who appeared to be ‘aggressive and provocative,’ according to witnesses.
As the train started moving, the 36-year-old flashed a sharp object believed to be a knife or a razor blade, Michael Kemper, the Police Department’s Chief of Transit, said at a news conference.
At one point, he pulled out a gun from his jacket, walking toward the 32-year-old as the verbal dispute escalated into a physical fight.
The shooting on the nation’s busiest transit system occurred less than a week after New York Governor Kathy Hochul stationed 750 national guard members in a bid to clamp down on the rampant violence on subway.
New York City commuters scrambled for cover after an ‘aggressive’ rider was shot in the head on a subway train during rush hour on Thursday
The shooting occurred on a northbound A train in Brooklyn shortly after 4.45 pm, when a verbal dispute between two strangers escalated into a fight
A video from ABC reporter Joyce Philippe captures the chaos after gunfire rang out, as terrified passengers ducked for cover and yelled for help
Social media users shared a clip of the fight that led up to the shooting, as the 36-year-old, wearing a black hoodie, can be seen punching the other guy multiple times.
The 36-year-old also landed a punch on a woman, who appeared to have stabbed him in the back multiple times as he shouted repeatedly, ‘you stabbed me?’
Blood visibly seeped through the black hooded man’s shirt as the two men grappled, with the 36-year-old man ultimately sitting atop the 32-year-old.
At one point, the hooded guy took off his jacket, revealing the weapon, and proceeded to load it.
Passengers can be heard shouting desperately, ‘get me out, get me out,’ before the car doors were opened.
The 36-year-old also landed a punch on a woman (pictured right) in jeans, who appeared to have stabbed him in the back multiple times as he shouted repeatedly, ‘you stabbed me?’
At one point, the hooded guy took off his jacket, revealing the weapon, and proceeded to load it
Blood visibly seeped through the black hooded man’s shirt as the two men grappled, with the 36-year-old man ultimately sitting atop the 32-year-old
The video did not capture the moment when the 32-year-old grabbed the firearm from the aggressive attacker, but multiple shots can be heard in the background.
A video from ABC reporter Joyce Philippe captures the chaos after gunfire rang out, as terrified passengers ducked for cover and yelled for help. ‘
‘Where’s the NYPD, oh my God!’ one woman exclaimed as others said, ‘close the door, close the door!’
The train pulled into the Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station, where law enforcement authorities who heard the gunshots flooded the scene.
The 32-year-old shooter was arrested before he stepped onto the platform and remained in custody.
The 36-year-old man was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was undergoing surgery and remained in critical condition.
A video from ABC reporter Joyce Philippe captures the chaos after gunfire rang out, as terrified passengers ducked for cover and yelled for help’
Footage posted by social media user Owen Anderson shows first responders rushing the person on a wheeled gurney into an ambulance
Footage posted by social media user Owen Anderson shows first responders rushing the person on a wheeled gurney into an ambulance.
‘When you bring a gun on a train and you start a fight, it’s not right and it’s absolutely outrageous,’ Chief Kemper said.
He added that authorities have not yet determined whether the alleged shooter’s actions would be considered self-defense. No charges have been brought against him as of Thursday evening.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) chairman Janno Lieber said, ‘The victim here, as the chief said, appears to be the aggressor.’
The alleged shooter was taken into custody by police, who said he did not seem to be the initial aggressor in the altercation
He added that authorities have not yet determined whether the alleged shooter’s actions would be considered self-defense. No charges have been brought against him as of Thursday evening
He added, ‘But the real victims are the people I saw in those videos, who are having a harrowing time because they’re on a train with somebody with a gun.’
Lincoln Restler, the City Council member who represents the area, wrote on X: ‘This is a horrible tragedy and deeply unnerving to the millions of New Yorkers who take the subway every day.’
The shooting follows a series of criminal activities on the trains including a cellist who was bludgeoned over the head by a stranger wielding a water bottle as he performed, as well as a shooting that killed one and injured five others.’
New York Governor Kathy Hochul told subway riders who refuse to submit to bag checks to ‘go home’
The national guardsmen join an additional 1,000 cops stationed in subways by Adams following a 45 percent increase in major crimes in January compared to the same time last year.
NYC Democrat Mayor Eric Adams said earlier this month that he’s bringing back bag checks for subway riders and station 750 national guard members at the city’s busiest stations.
The Big Apple saw a 45 percent increase in major crimes in January compared to the same time last year.
Knives, box cutters, clubs and guns are reportedly among the weapons the NYPD is searching for.
Subway crime has been on the rise of late, with 2023 showing the most subway assaults since 1996. There have been three homicides on the rails to start the year, compared to none at this point last year.
In May of last year, a 24-year-old former Marine was seen putting an erratic subway passenger in a headlock until he died.
The 30-year-old Jordan Neely entered the subway car and started threatening passengers.
He was held down on the floor and became unconscious. When an EMS team boarded the train, which remained at the platform, they were unable to revive him.
Police have chosen not to identify the 24-year-old man, who was released without charges after the incident.