The gunman wearing a gas mask who killed 2 people and injured at least 23 others on a crowded Brooklyn subway on Tuesday morning, had planned to shoot more people but his gun jammed in the midst of the carnage, police said. According to a New York Post report, the faulty gun prevented the shooter from causing further carnage.
NYPD is now looking for Frank R. James after identifying him as the person of interest in the Brooklyn subway shooting. Although, he hasn't been named the suspect but it is believed that James was gunman as he had hinted at "entering the danger zone" on social media last month.
Luckily Saved
Police confirmed on late Tuesday evening that two among the 10 people who suffered gunshots during the Brooklyn subway shooting have died.
However, according to police sources speaking to the NY Post, the James, the suspected gunman in the attack had planned to shoot more people but his gun somehow jammed. The sources also confirmed the same to CNN.
Around 8.30 a.m., a man wearing a gas mask and a green vest hurled a smoke bomb into a train on the N/R line as it approached 36th St station before opening fire, injuring several people and causing panic among rush hour commuters.
Following the carnage, the jammed Glock and two extended magazines were recovered at the scene of the incident. "It was lucky that it jammed because we could be talking about a lot more people in hospitals or worse," a law enforcement source told the outlet.
"Dozens more people would have been wounded or more seriously injured."
At least two people died and 29 were injured in the incident, including 10 people who were shot, according to the NYPD. The fatal victims included a 23-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man who were both gunned down in separate Bronx shootings.
Gunman on the Run
More than seven hours after the attack, the gunman was still on the loose. Police said they had located a rented U-Haul van with Arizona plates that could be related to the shooter shortly after 3 pm. This helped them identify James as a person of interest in the shooting.
The suspect was using a rolling milk crate-type carrier to cart around his stuff, sources added.
A hatchet, a can of pepper spray, two gas canisters, one bag of fireworks, smoke grenades, and gasoline were also discovered at the site, though it's unclear whether they all belonged to the suspect.
The FBI has joined in the manhunt, warning New Yorkers to stay away from the area as it was an "active shooter incident".
Police said that they are looking for James for questioning. James is described as a black male 1.65m (5ft5in) tall, with "heavy build" weighing approximately 81 kgs (180 pounds). "We are looking to determine if he has any connection to the train," said NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.
"We know Mr James rented that U-Haul truck in Philadelphia." James, who has addresses in Wisconsin and Philadelphia, was not named as the suspect. Instead, NYPD says that investigators want to know if James witnessed the attack.
James allegedly made disturbing social media statements regarding homelessness in New York City, as well as threats to Mayor Eric Adams, according to Sewell. As a result, Adams' security was beefed up.
Adams said that while it was premature to assign a motive to the shooting, the incident had brought "terror" to the city.
"Someone attempted to terrorize our system," Adams told CNN.
"I think at this time, the investigators are going to do their due diligence to properly identify what happened here."
