The police arrested the shooter before he even stepped onto the platform.
A man was seriously injured when a passenger on wrestled a gun from him and shot him in the head on a subway train in Brooklyn. According to New York Times (NYT), the incident took place during the Thursday evening rush hour. Quoting police department’s Chief of Transit Michael Kemper, the outlet said that the violence erupted when a 32-year-old man was confronted by a 36-year-old passenger in an “aggressive and provocative” manner after boarding the train at Nostrand Avenue station at 4.45 pm (local time).
New Yorkers are begging the politicians to step up and do the right thing. This video is all over the internet and my anxiety is bad from looking at this. Crack down on those who break the laws. This is horrible. Putting people’s lives at risk. The subways are not safe! Warning… pic.twitter.com/8xqdkbloLU
— Lattina Brown, MPA ???????? (@LattinaBrown) March 15, 2024
A verbal confrontation started and soon turned into a physical fight, with the 36-year-old flashing a razor blade of knife and eventually pulling out a gun, Mr Kemper said.
A New York Post report said that the 36-year-old abused the man even issuing a threat, “I’ll beat you up!”
“Come on, there’s babies on here,” one woman can be heard pleading in the video, which was posted on social media platform X.
But that didn’t stop the 36-year-old, who pounced on the other man, pushing him onto a two-seater and delivering several blows.
Other passengers threw themselves on the floor of the train.
During the confrontation, the 36-year-old passenger pulled out a gun from his jacket, but the 32-year-old managed to yank it from him and “fired multiple shots”, said the police chief.
At least four shots were heard in the video.
As the train stopped at Hoyt-Schermerhorn station in Downtown Brooklyn, commuters rushed out of the coach in all directions, as per NYT.
Police officers heard the gunshots and responded immediately. The shooter was arrested before he even stepped onto the platform.
The man who was shot was taken to a hospital, where he was undergoing surgery and was in critical condition, said Mr Kemper.
Police believe the two men were total strangers.
Police have not yet charged the 32-year-old, neither have they revealed whether his actions would be considered self-defence, Mr Kemper added.