Suspect still at large after Brooklyn subway station shooting

The NYPD is looking for Frank James, the man who rented a U-Haul truck found near the scene of a shooting in Brooklyn. It is unclear his connection to the event.
How police found and arrested NYC subway shooting suspect
01:33 - Source: CNN

What we covered

  • The suspect: Suspected Brooklyn subway shooter Frank James was arrested today in New York’s East Village neighborhood, officials say, after police received a tip.
  • The shooting: Ten people were shot at a Brooklyn subway station Tuesday, officials said. Authorities said the suspect put on a gas mask, deployed a gas canister and then began shooting, firing at least 33 times.
  • The investigation: An intensive manhunt was underway for James, who is believed to be the renter of the U-Haul van recovered in Brooklyn and whose keys were found at the scene. The shooter’s motive is still unknown, officials say.
  • The charges: James has so far been charged with violating a law that prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks against a mass transportation system, according to the US attorney. He will be arraigned in federal court.

Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the shooting in the posts below.

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Here's what you need to know about the arrest of the Brooklyn subway shooter

Suspected Brooklyn subway shooter Frank James is escorted out of the 9th Precinct by law enforcement officials after being arrested in New York's East Village neighborhood on Wednesday April 13.

Suspected Brooklyn subway shooter Frank James was arrested today in New York’s East Village neighborhood, officials say, after police received a tip.

James was arrested after an intensive manhunt after authorities recovered a U-Haul van in Brooklyn, which officials believed was rented by the suspect after keys were found at the scene. The shooter’s motive is still unknown, officials say.

James has so far been charged with violating a law that prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks against a mass transportation system, according to the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He will be arraigned in federal court.

Ten people were shot at a Brooklyn subway station Tuesday, officials said. Authorities said the suspect put on a gas mask, deployed a gas canister and then began shooting, firing at least 33 times.

If you’re catching up, here’s what else you need to know about today’s developments in the Brooklyn subway shooting:

  • Suspect in Brooklyn subway shooting called in the Crime Stoppers tip on himself: The suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting called in a tip to Crime Stoppers that led to his capture, two law enforcement sources tell CNN. Frank James called in the tip to the police and told them he was at a McDonald’s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the sources confirmed. Police responded to the McDonald’s and did not find James, the police official said. But upon driving around they spotted him on the corner of St. Marks Place and 1st Avenue and arrested him, officials said at the news conference.
  • James to be charged in federal court: The Brooklyn US Attorney said today that the subway shooting suspect will be charged in federal court. Breon Peace, US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said that James will face multiple counts, including the use of a dangerous weapon to cause death and serious injury to passengers and employees on the New York subway system. Peace said that James has been charged with one count of violating 18 U.S.C. 1992(a)(7), which prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks against mass transportation systems. He will face a sentence of up to life imprisonment if convicted, Peace said.
  • James to make first court appearance on Thursday: James will have his initial court appearance on Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, according to John Marzulli, spokesperson for the US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York. The timing for the court appearance will be confirmed Thursday morning, Marzulli said. James is now in federal custody. CNN has reached out to his federal defender, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, for comment.
  • New York governor and NYC mayor react to the news of James’ arrest: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’s “deeply grateful” that the suspected Brooklyn subway shooter was arrested and is directing state agencies to assist in the investigation, in a statement Wednesday. The statement continued, “My heart is with all those who are injured, their loved ones, and the entire Sunset Park community. The epidemic of gun violence that continues to terrorize communities across this country must end. My pledge to New Yorkers is this: I will fight every day to restore public safety, get guns off our streets, and prevent these horrific acts of violence.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams opened a news conference following the arrest of Brooklyn subway shooting suspect Frank James telling New Yorkers “we got him.”

Brooklyn subway shooting suspect to appear in court on Thursday

New York City Police and law enforcement officials lead subway shooting suspect Frank R. James, 62, center, away from a police station, in New York on Wednesday, April 13.

Shooting suspect Frank James will have his initial court appearance on Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, according to John Marzulli, spokesperson for the US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.

The timing for the court appearance will be confirmed Thursday morning, Marzulli said.

James is now in federal custody. CNN has reached out to his federal defender, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, for comment.

Suspect in Brooklyn subway shooting called in the Crime Stoppers tip that caught him, sources say

The suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting called in a tip to Crime Stoppers that led to his capture, two law enforcement sources tell CNN.

Frank James called in the tip to the police and told them he was at a McDonald’s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the sources confirmed.

At an earlier news conference Wednesday, an NYPD official said the tip indicated the suspect was at a McDonald’s on 6th Street and 1st Avenue.

Police responded to the McDonald’s and did not find James, the police official said.

But upon driving around they spotted him on the corner of St. Marks Place and 1st Avenue and arrested him, officials said at the news conference.

Authorities believe Brooklyn subway shooting suspect attempted to deface the serial number on gun

An image of the Glock 17 found at the scene had scratch marks on its serial number. 

The Glock 17 that authorities found at the scene of the Brooklyn subway shooting had scratch marks on its serial number, according to a court document.

A complaint against suspected Brooklyn subway shooter Frank James shows a photo of the Glock pistol with scratches over two areas where a serial number appears, and prosecutors said they believe the marks “appear to reflect that an attempt was made to deface the serial number.”

Prosecutors said in the complaint that they believe the gun was purchased lawfully in Ohio by a man named Frank Robert James, and that it was used in the shooting.

Gov. Hochul: "I am deeply grateful" that the suspected Brooklyn subway shooter has been apprehended

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is seen during a press conference at the site of a shooting at the 36 St subway station on April 12.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’s “deeply grateful” that the suspected Brooklyn subway shooter was arrested and is directing state agencies to assist in the investigation, in a statement Wednesday.

The statement continued, “My heart is with all those who are injured, their loved ones, and the entire Sunset Park community. The epidemic of gun violence that continues to terrorize communities across this country must end. My pledge to New Yorkers is this: I will fight every day to restore public safety, get guns off our streets, and prevent these horrific acts of violence.”

Brooklyn subway shooting suspect documented his travel to New York in YouTube videos

Brooklyn subway shooting suspect Frank James documented his travel from Wisconsin to the northeast over a series of YouTube videos posted in recent weeks. 

In a video uploaded on March 20, James said that he had left Milwaukee — authorities have said he is associated with addresses in Wisconsin — and was spending the night in a Fort Wayne, Indiana, hotel.

“Just on the drive man I’m just thinking because I’m heading back into the danger zone so to speak,” he said in that video. “You know, it is triggering a lot of negative thoughts of course because I do suffer, I have a bad severe case of post-traumatic stress after the sh*t I’ve been through all the f***ing years man.”

James indicated that he was transporting all his belongings in the van and that he would be storing some of them in a Philadelphia-area storage unit. Although James said that Philadelphia was his final destination, he said that the Penske truck he rented needed to be dropped off in Newark, New Jersey.

CNN reached out to Penske, who would not confirm that James rented a van, but did say they had reached out to the FBI to assist in their investigation.

After the night in Fort Wayne, James continued east and made his way to Pittsburgh, where he said in a video uploaded on March 21 that he was staying in a hotel near the Pittsburgh International Airport.

The next night, in another video, James said that he had gotten a hotel near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In that video, he is seen drinking whiskey and later, begins to show signs of intoxication. Towards the end of the video, he begins slurring his words and at one point, he says he is falling asleep.

He said that he had recently stopped drinking because it gave him “the shakes.”

Around March 25, James uploaded a video claiming that he had made it to the Philadelphia area. It’s unclear where James was between March 22 and March 25 based on the videos.

In that March 25 video, James said he was staying in a Best Western hotel in Bordentown, New Jersey. He also gave his room number and a small tour of the room.

James is also seen drinking in that video.

“Alright, so I tried to get high by dragging some Jim Beam a little earlier to make this video,” he said. “Want to be high to make this video because I felt that I couldn’t really — I seem to do my best work when I’m high.”

James also said that he was last in New York “a few years ago.

In the video, James also mentions that he would be staying in the hotel until March 28, when he would move to other lodging inside Philadelphia.

The videos have since been removed by YouTube.

CNN has confirmed that James rented a short-term rental apartment on West Ontario Street in Philadelphia. A neighbor identified James to CNN, saying that James was at the apartment last week seen taking boxes out of a U-Haul truck.

The neighbor also told CNN that law enforcement recently searched the apartment.

In a criminal complaint unsealed after James was taken into custody, prosecutors alleged that James did in fact rent an apartment and a storage unit in Philadelphia. Records from rideshare operator Lyft indicate that he visited the facility on April 11 on 6:17 p.m. ET, according to the complaint.

Those records also indicate that James ordered approximately 21 rides to and from the apartment from March 28 and April 10. CNN has reached out to the management company for the Philadelphia apartment for comment but has not yet received a response.

According to the complaint, records from the apartment management company indicate James rented the apartment for at least 15 days.

James did not mention any plans to visit the New York area or convey any concrete plans that he was planning a shooting in the videos that CNN has reviewed.

CNN has previously reported that on April 6, James made a reservation to pick up a U-Haul van on April 11 in Philadelphia, according to documentation of the transaction.

At 4 a.m. ET Tuesday, just hours before the attack, James drove the U-Haul van into Brooklyn from Staten Island across the Verrazzano bridge, CNN has reported.

James was taken into custody on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Wednesday afternoon around 2 p.m. ET.

Video shows moment subway shooting suspect was arrested

New York City Police Department officers arrest subway shooting suspect Frank R. James, 62, in the East Village section, of New York on Wednesday, April 13.

CNN has obtained new video showing the arrest of subway shooting suspect Frank James.

Officials said James was arrested without incident by patrol officers on the street in New York’s East Village neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon after police got a tip on its Crime Stoppers hotline.

The video shows James in handcuffs being escorted by two police officers in the street.

Watch the video here:

40738c5b-fe3e-4e54-a758-9c10e368fbbf.mp4
00:44 - Source: cnn

YouTube removes account linked to Brooklyn shooting suspect

YouTube confirmed on Wednesday that it removed an account that appeared to be from Brooklyn subway shooting suspect Frank James.

James, who was arrested on Thursday as a suspect in the New York subway shooting, had talked about violence and mass shootings in videos posted on the social media platform — including one uploaded Monday.

Malon went on to say that YouTube’s systems are “prominently surfacing videos from authoritative sources in search and recommendations.”

How investigators tracked and arrested the subway shooting suspect after he fired at passengers 

Chief of Detectives James Essig speaks during a press conference on April 13 in New York.

New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives James Essig detailed what suspect Frank James did after shooting at passengers on a Brooklyn subway on Tuesday.

The official also noted that the construction helmet James was wearing was recovered in a garbage bin.

Essig said officials then tracked James’ location before he was arrested.

“We tracked Mr. James, and his last known whereabouts was 7th Avenue and 9th Street in Park Slope, entering the subway. Minutes ago, thankfully, NYPD patrol officers from the 9th Precinct responded to St. Marks [Place] and First Avenue, where they apprehended him without incident,” Essig said, noting that the suspect was in Park Slope at about 9:15 a.m. ET yesterday.

Kenneth Corey, the NYPD chief of department, described how the arrest unfolded today, explaining that investigators got a CrimeStoppers tip that the suspect was in a McDonald’s at 6th Street and First Avenue in the East Village.

“Officers respond to the McDonald’s. He’s not in the McDonald’s. They start driving around the neighborhood looking for him, they see him on the corner of St. Marks [Place] and First [Avenue] and they take him into custody,” he said.

The case was quickly solved using technology and video canvassing, he added. He also thanked federal and regional partners.

MTA chair: "New Yorkers will rest a little easier tonight" thanks to NYPD's arrest of suspected shooter 

Janno Lieber, chair of New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority, said that New Yorkers will “rest a little easier tonight” thanks to the work of NYPD officials in arresting the suspected Brooklyn subway shooter.

The statement continued: “With the support of Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams has made a powerful commitment to subway safety and has already taken significant steps to increase the presence and visibility of NYPD officers in the transit system—especially on platforms and trains, where riders want to see them most. We look forward to continuing to strengthen this partnership as we restore riders’ confidence in the transit system.”

Subway shooting suspect to be charged in federal court, US attorney says

Breon Peace speaks during a press conference on April 13 in New York.

The Brooklyn US Attorney said today that the subway shooting suspect will be charged in federal court.

Breon Peace, US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said that Frank James will face multiple counts, including the use of a dangerous weapon to cause death and serious injury to passengers and employees on the New York subway system. Peace said that James has been charged with one count of violating 18 U.S.C. 1992(a)(7), which prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks against mass transportation systems.

He will face a sentence of up to life imprisonment if convicted, Peace said.

Peace added that his office intends to prove that “James traveled across a state line in order to commit the offense and transported materials across a state line in aid of the commission of the offense.”

NYPD commissioner on Brooklyn shooting suspect: "There was nowhere else for him to run"

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell speaks during a press conference on April 13 in New York.

Suspected Brooklyn subway shooter Frank James was stopped on the street and arrested by NYPD officers who were responding to a crime stoppers tip, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

“He was taken into custody without incident and has been transported to NYPD facility,” Sewell continued.

James will charged with committing yesterday’s “appalling crime in Brooklyn,” the official said. “We were able to shrink his world quickly, there was nowhere else for him to run,” she added.

James was previously arrested nine times in New York City, according to New York Police Department Chief of Detectives James Essig.

“Through the course of this investigation, we developed additional information and evidence,” he said Wednesday. “Mr. James is a male, 62 years old. He is known to us and has ties in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City. His arrest history in New York is nine prior arrests, dating from 1992 to 1998. Those include possession of burglary tools four times, criminal sex act, theft of service two times. He was arrested on a New Jersey warrant. He also has a criminal tampering.”

Additionally, James has three arrests in New Jersey, Essig said.

“He has three arrests to New Jersey. In 1991, 1992, and 2007. They are for trespass, larceny and disorderly conduct,” he told reporters.

However, James had no felony convictions so he was able to purchase a gun, Essig said in response to a reporter’s question.

Here’s where the arrest occurred:

CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia contributed reporting to this post.

"We got him": New York City Mayor Eric Adams announces arrest of Brooklyn subway shooting suspect

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference on April 13.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams opened a news conference following the arrest of Brooklyn subway shooting suspect Frank James telling New Yorkers “we got him.”

Adams, who tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend, appeared via video link on Wednesday afternoon.

Adams thanked everyone who called in tips during the less than 30 hours that James was on the loose after Tuesday’s shooting.

NOW: Police give update on Brooklyn subway shooting investigation following arrest of suspect 

New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell speaks during a press conference following the shooting on April 12 in New York City.

New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other officials are providing an update on the Brooklyn subway shooting investigation.

Ahead of the briefing, law enforcement officials told CNN the suspected shooter Frank James was arrested by patrol officers in the East Village in New York City today.

The 62-year-old man, who police initially described as a “person of interest” in the shooting, was declared a suspect earlier Wednesday after investigators determined he purchased the gun recovered at the scene, law enforcement officials said.

An intensive hunt was underway for James, who police say is responsible for Tuesday’s attack. Two law enforcement officials told CNN that the gun evidence was the turning point in elevating him from a person of interest to a suspect.

The subway attack left 29 people injured, including 10 who were shot, though none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening, officials said. Five of the victims were young people commuting to school, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

The motive of the shooting is not yet known. The attack is not being investigated as an act of terrorism but authorities have not ruled out anything, the NYPD commissioner said.

NYPD arrested Brooklyn subway shooting suspect after following a tip, sources say

The NYPD arrested Brooklyn subway shooting suspect Frank James after it got a tip on its Crime Stoppers hotline, according to two law enforcement sources.

Officers from the NYPD’s 9th Precinct in the East Village of Manhattan responded immediately, spotted him and took him into custody, according to one source.

Brooklyn subway shooting suspect has been arrested, law enforcement officials say

Frank James is seen in these photos shared by the NYPD.

Suspected Brooklyn subway shooter Frank James was arrested by patrol officers in the East Village in New York City on Wednesday, three law enforcement officials tell CNN.

Patrol officers from the 9th Precinct downtown arrested him, they said.

The FBI is working with a fireworks facility in Wisconsin regarding subway shooting suspect

The owner of Phantom Fireworks, Bruce Zoldan, provided CNN with a receipt showing a man named Frank James purchased fireworks and “color smoke balls” from a retail location in Wisconsin in June 2021. Zoldan told CNN he is working with the FBI. 

The receipt shows a brand of fireworks that matches the brand that investigators found at the scene, according to a picture of the evidence obtained by CNN. 

Phantom Fireworks, located in Caledonia, Wisconsin, released a statement, saying that it “cannot confirm that the purchaser and the person of interest are the same individual” as there is no video surveillance footage of the purchase available.

The company is cooperating with investigators, according to the statement.  

10 people remain hospitalized in connection with Brooklyn subway shooting, according to local hospitals 

Of the 29 people who were hospitalized in connection with the Brooklyn subway shooting, 10 remain hospitalized as of early Wednesday afternoon, according to local hospitals.

Five people remain hospitalized at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, spokesperson David Koeppel told CNN. The hospital admitted the most patients from the subway shooting yesterday — 21 people in total. All victims still hospitalized are in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, the spokesperson said. 

Two people remain hospitalized at Maimonides Medical Center and three people at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, according to the hospitals. All the patients are in good or stable condition.

Investigators link gun found at Brooklyn subway shooting scene to suspect, law enforcement officials say

Investigators have linked the gun found at the scene of the subway shooting to suspect Frank James, according to law enforcement officials.

Three law enforcement officials told CNN that investigators have determined the gun recovered from the scene of the subway shooting was purchased by James. 

Two of those officials said linking the gun to James was part of the impetus in elevating James from a “person of interest” to a suspect in connection with the shooting. 

Investigators are learning more about the purchases that James made as they pour over evidence, including search warrants, sources said.

Authorities have tracked the purchase of a gas mask to James through an eBay account, according to one of the aforementioned law enforcement officials and a separate law enforcement official. 

When reached for comment, an eBay spokesperson said that “while we cannot comment on individual users’ activities, when contacted by law enforcement agencies, we fully cooperate and work closely with them to assist with their investigations.”

The New York City Police Department, in coordination with federal authorities, have continued to talk to victims and witnesses of the subway shooting, have interviewed known family members of James, and have conducted search warrants as part of its investigative efforts in finding him, one of the officials told CNN.

Investigators also continue to comb through James’ social media footprint, the source said.

CNN’s Richard Davis contributed to this report.

No weapons or explosives found in recovered U-Haul van, law enforcement officials say 

Emergency personnel search a U-Haul van following the shooting on Tuesday, April 12, in New York.

Investigators did not find any other weapons or explosives in the U-Haul van discovered in connection with the Brooklyn subway shooting, law enforcement officials said.

One official said no weapons or explosives were found, and a second source also said no explosives were found.

The van, which investigators say was rented by suspect Frank James, did have remnants of food in it, one source said.

Both sources said it appeared he may have slept in the vehicle.  

Both law enforcement sources also say a license plate reader detected the van driving over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, from Staten Island, around 4 a.m. ET Tuesday.

Brooklyn shooting suspect posted about NYC mental health programs

Frank James, the Brooklyn subway shooting suspect, criticized a plan by the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams to address safety and homelessness in the subway in part through an expanded presence of mental health professionals in a video posted online in February. 

In another racist and rambling recording, James called the new effort “doomed to fail” and described his own negative experience with city health workers during a “crisis of mental health back in the 90s, 80s and 70s.”

More: Other videos that James has uploaded included references to violence, including at a set group of people he believed had maligned him, in addition to broad societal and racial groups that he appeared to hate.

In another video posted last week, James, who is Black, rants about abuse in churches and racism in the workplace, using misogynistic and racist language.

In another video posted last month to the same channel, James said that he had post-traumatic stress. In that video, James said he left his home in Milwaukee on March 20. During the trip eastward, he said he was heading to the “danger zone.”

US Marshals join manhunt for Brooklyn subway shooting suspect

The US Marshals Service has joined the manhunt for Brooklyn subway shooting suspect Frank James, a spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday.

“USMS has joined the investigation in the NYC subway shooting and is looking for the person of interest. About 50 NYPD detectives work on the USMS NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force and will assist deputy US Marshals in the search for the person of interest,” US Marshals Service spokesperson Drew Wade said in a statement.

New York officials are now referring to Frank James, formerly a person of interest, as the suspect in the shooting. Authorities said the suspect, who remains at large, put on a gas mask, deployed a gas canister and then began shooting, firing at least 33 times.

Witnesses recount frantic scene as suspect began shooting in smoke-filled train car

Images captured by people at the scene of the Brooklyn subway shooting and witness accounts piece together a picture of the panic and chaos that ensued when shots began to ring out in the smoke-filled train car.

People backed away from the door and a man banged on the door trying to move into the subway car, video taken by the passenger showed. In another video, people can be seen rushing off the subway train after it pulled into the 36th Street subway station.

Smoke pours out of the car where the shooting took place, and people can be heard screaming, that video shows. Someone helps an injured and bleeding person off the train, and another man is seen hobbling off the train shortly afterward.

Images taken by others at the scene show the subway platform streaked with blood and people sitting and lying on the train platform following the attack.

Hourari Benkada, 27, was sitting next to the subway shooting suspect on the “N” train and was shot in the back of his knee while trying to flee, he told CNN.

Benkada, a housekeeping manager at the New Yorker Hotel, got on the last car of the N train and sat next to a man with a duffel bag who was wearing an Metropolitan Transportation Authority vest, he said. The gunman then let off a “smoke bomb” and started shooting about 20 seconds after the train took off, Benkada said.

Benkada was focused on helping a pregnant woman, whom he feared would get hurt as people rushed to the front of the car, when he got shot, describing it as “the worst pain of my entire life.”

The bullet hit him in the back of his knee and came out the other side, he said. Doctors told him the bullet grazed his kneecap. He is expected to walk on his own after several weeks on crutches.

Benkada heard other people in pain but couldn’t see them or the suspect because of the smoke, he said.

Claire Tunkel, 46, took off her jacket and tied it around the leg of a man who suffered a gunshot wound, she told CNN. Tunkel, who went to the hospital for smoke inhalation, said several victims were lying on the floor of the subway platform after the train arrived at the station.

“One of the guys who was shot, his leg was bleeding pretty bad, so I took off my jacket and tied it around his leg,” she said.

Tunkel was in the subway car where the shooting took place and described the scene as chaotic. While she couldn’t see anything because of the smoke, she said she heard people crying out for help and others who said they were bleeding.

NYPD has video related to Brooklyn subway shooting, MTA CEO says

Members of the New York City Police Department patrol the streets after the incident on April 12.

The New York City Police Department has access to “an enormous range of video” from transit system cameras related to Tuesday’s subway shooting in Brooklyn, according to Metropolitan Transit Authority CEO Janno Lieber.

Authorities are now naming Frank James as a suspect in connection with the shooting.

“The cops have been looking overnight at all of the stations, where he got on, where he might have got off,” Lieber said on CBS Wednesday morning. “There’s an enormous range of video.”

When asked why it appears that the cameras on the train where the shooting happened weren’t working, he said it may have been a server issue.

Enforcing the rules of conduct of the transit system and putting officers on platforms and trains will help target transit crime, Lieber said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday.

“One, we need to put cops on platforms and on trains, which is where people feel vulnerable,” said Lieber. “The other thing is to just enforce the basic rules of conduct.”

When asked about if the MTA could do anything about potentially targeting situations in which someone is carrying many items in a backpack as the suspect did on Tuesday, Lieber said the authority wouldn’t want to create an environment that’s impractical.

“The bottom line is on that platform, in addition to that backpack and all those materials he left behind, I saw kids’ schoolwork, backpacks filled with kids’ schoolwork,” said Lieber. “So what we’re not going to do is create an environment where people can’t go about their business and create something that’s impractical.”

Authorities are now naming Frank James as a suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting

Frank James is seen in these photos shared by the NYPD.

New York officials are now referring to Frank James as a suspect in connection with the Brooklyn subway shooting.

NYPD spokesperson Lt. Thomas Antonetti told CNN the investigation has now allowed for him to be referred to as a suspect. 

Police believe he is responsible for the shooting, Antonetti said.

Investigators previously named James a “person of interest,” who they believe rented a U-Haul van that has been connected to the shooting at the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park.

James, 62, has addresses in Wisconsin as well as Philadelphia, where the U-Haul was rented, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.

The U-Haul was recovered near the station and has been cleared by the NYPD’s bomb squad, police said. The van will be transported to a forensic location where federal and local authorities can go through the vehicle in a controlled environment, a senior law enforcement official told CNN.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told CNN this morning that “we’re going to catch this person. We’re going to bring him to justice and hold him responsible for this horrific act on innocent people.”

Overall, 29 people were hospitalized in connection with the shooting with injuries that included gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation or from falling while trying to escape, officials said.

The NYPD is asking that the public help authorities find James:

NYC mayor says authorities will catch Brooklyn subway shooting suspect and warns New Yorkers to be vigilant

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks with CNN on April 13.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he is confident that the person responsible for the Brooklyn subway shooting will be caught and prosecuted.

Investigators have named a “person of interest” they believe rented a U-Haul van that has been connected to the shooting at the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park.

Frank James, 62, has not been named as a suspect. James has addresses in Wisconsin as well as Philadelphia, where the U-Haul was rented, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said Tuesday.

“We’re sensitive about what we release right now. We have a person of interest named, his face, where he resides, some of his actions, some of the weapons that he carried, but we are methodically releasing only the information that would never endanger the outcome of this case,” Adams told CNN.

James has been linked to multiple rambling videos posted on a YouTube channel. Preliminary information indicated James mentioned homelessness, New York City, and Adams in online posts, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Tuesday, adding that as a result the city would increase the mayor’s security.

CNN’s John Berman asked the mayor: “Were there things posted by this person of interest that to you should have set off red flags?”

“I believe so. That will come out during the investigation,” the mayor answered via a video interview. Adams tested positive for Covid-19 earlier in the week.

He said social media companies should be more proactive about threatening postings.

The mayor warned New Yorkers to be vigilant as authorities continue their investigation.

Adams also discussed implementing new technology that can detect guns in the subway system.

“We want to enhance our level of security, and that’s why I’m talking about examining some of the technology out there,” he said.

Frank James, the person of interest in the subway shooting, posted YouTube videos discussing mass shootings

Frank James is seen in these photos shared by the NYPD.

Frank James, the man named by the New York City Police Department as a person of interest in the Brooklyn subway shooting, talked about violence and mass shootings in multiple rambling videos posted on YouTube, including one uploaded Monday in which he said he’s thought about killing people who have presumably hurt him.

The NYPD named James a person of interest Tuesday because they believe he rented the U-Haul van, whose keys were found at the scene. Police are currently investigating whether he has any connection to the shooting, and have not named him as a suspect.

CNN has linked the YouTube videos to James because a screenshot from one of them is being used on a NYPD Crimestoppers flyer. Also, in one of the videos, he posts a city of New York ID card from a past educational training program.

In what appears to be his latest video, posted Monday, James talks about someone who engaged in violence and ended up in jail.

“I’ve been through a lot of s**t, where I can say I wanted to kill people. I wanted to watch people die right in front of my f**king face immediately. But I thought about the fact that, hey man, I don’t want to go to no f**king prison.” 

Many of the videos that James uploaded included references to violence, including at a set group of people he believed had maligned him, in addition to broad societal and racial groups that he appeared to hate.

In another video posted last week, James, who is Black, rants about abuse in churches and racism in the workplace, using misogynistic and racist language. James repeatedly espoused hatred toward African Americans.

In another video posted last month to the same channel, James said that he had post-traumatic stress.

In that video, James said he left his home in Milwaukee on March 20. During the trip eastward, he said he was heading to the “danger zone.”

“You know, it’s triggering a lot of negative thoughts of course,” he said in the video. “I do have a severe case of post-traumatic stress.”

More on the investigation: Preliminary information indicated James mentioned homelessness, New York City, and the city’s new mayor, Eric Adams, in online posts, the NYPD commissioner said Tuesday, adding that as a result the city would increase the mayor’s security.

Police released two photos of James in a news conference Tuesday night, including one that appeared to be a screengrab from a YouTube video he had posted.

The NYPD said keys belonging to a U-Haul that had been rented under his name in Philadelphia were found among the shooter’s possessions at the shooting scene in Brooklyn.

Police were careful to refer to James only as a “person of interest” because of the link to the U-Haul rental, noting that they were not accusing him at this point of being the shooter.

The videos give insight into James’ path to the northeast. He arrived in Philadelphia March 25 after stops in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Pittsburgh; and Newark, New Jersey.

CNN has reached out to James — and his family — for comment, but has not received a response.

How the subway shooting unfolded

Emergency personnel gather at the entrance to a subway stop in the Brooklyn borough of New York on April 12.

Just before 8:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, the New York City Fire Department received a report of smoke at the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, according to FDNY. When first responders arrived, they found multiple gunshot victims throughout the subway station and others who were injured in the chaos.

The Manhattan-bound N train was pulling into the 36th Street station when the shooting began, NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a news briefing Tuesday.

Sewell said a man in one of the train cars was wearing a gas mask when he opened a canister releasing smoke into the car and started shooting, leaving 10 commuters with gunshot wounds and several others injured.

Five of the 10 people shot were in critical but stable condition following the attack, and none of the injuries were life-threatening, authorities said. Six other people were injured due to smoke inhalation, shrapnel and the ensuing panic, FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.

Two law enforcement officials told CNN a gun was recovered in the subway station. Investigators have also recovered multiple high-capacity magazines from the scene, three law enforcement officials said.

Fireworks and gunpowder were also found, according to two law enforcement sources.

Investigators have named a “person of interest” they believe rented a U-Haul van that has been connected to the shooting.

Frank James, 62, has not been named as a suspect. James has addresses in Wisconsin as well as Philadelphia, where the U-Haul was rented, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.

The U-Haul was recovered near the station and has been cleared by the NYPD’s bomb squad, police said. The van will be transported to a forensic location where federal and local authorities can go through the vehicle in a controlled environment, a senior law enforcement official told CNN.

Read more about the shooting here.

READ MORE

A quiet morning commute on a Brooklyn subway quickly became a ‘war zone’ leaving more than 20 people injured, NYC mayor says
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READ MORE

A quiet morning commute on a Brooklyn subway quickly became a ‘war zone’ leaving more than 20 people injured, NYC mayor says
What we know and don’t know about the Brooklyn subway shooting
Mayor: The entire nation is facing high level of violence, not just New York City
Biden on Brooklyn shooting: ‘We’re not letting up’ until we find the perpetrator