UPDATE: Brooklyn shooting suspect arrested

At least 26 people injured following a shooting and explosion in a subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Following news reports on Tuesday, April 12, of at least 23 people being reported injured, with ten of them suffering gunshot wounds in a shooting in a subway station in Brooklyn, New York, the New York Police Department (NYPD) have released information on a possible suspect.

The suspected gunman has since been detained, according to NYDP on Wednesday 13, April.

The suspect, a 62-year-old man named Frank R James, is reported to have rented a van that NYPD believe could be connected to the shooting, with the key recovered at the scene of the incident according to police. They have not yet commented on the suspects direct involvement in the attack.

This is Frank James who is a person of interest in this investigation. Any information can be directed to @NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/yBpenmsX67

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 12, 2022

Credit: Twitter @NYPDnews

The suspect has reportedly posted videos on social media in the past, using black nationalist rhetoric, violent language and bigoted comments, with some of them targeted at other black people. In one of these videos, James reportedly claimed that he was a “victim” of the Mayor of New York’s programme for mental health as well as criticising the Mayor’s plan to end gun violence. He also stated that a plan issued by the government to combat homelessness and safety issues in the city’s subway station was “doomed for failure.”

The NYPD are now offering rewards which total $50,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest of a suspect connected to the incident. 

The article reported at the time of the event:

The incident, which is believed to be a shooting and explosion, occurred Tuesday morning at around 8:30 local time with at least five people being shot in a subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Ambulances, Police, SWAT teams and bomb squads have rushed to the scene. Conditions of the victims are not currently clear, but at least 16 people have been transferred to hospital, with 10 of them injured from the shooting.

Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell has since stated: “Just before 8:24 a.m., as the train pulled into the 36th Street Station in the Sunset Park neighborhood, a man in a construction vest put on his gas mask before firing shots that hit people on the train and the nearby platform.”

Patrick Berry, 41, told the NY times that he was waiting at the 25th Street station, one stop north, when an R train arrived at around 8:30 a.m. He and his 3-year-old daughter boarded, but the train didn’t move.

“Then suddenly, from the front of the train, I heard people screaming, ‘Run, run, run! Go, go, go!’ And then all these people came sprinting past our car, and I just felt like, ‘Oh my god, this is a stampede. People started pushing out from behind. So I grabbed my daughter, and we ran too.” stated Berry.

Graphic photos have been posted on social media showing the subway platform soaked with blood but it is still with previously unconfirmed reports of an explosion or a mass shooting flooding social media. The NYPD’s bomb squad was reported to be at the scene investigating. An FDNY spokesperson has stated that multiple undetonated devices were found. 

A possible suspect linked to the shooting was believed to be wearing construction clothes similar to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker according to sources. People at the scene were said to have jumped on to another train to flee to the next station, sources said. Local schools have been placed on lockdown, according to Democratic Councilwoman Alexa Aviles, who represents the area.

Credit: Twitter @NYPDnews @derekcfrench

ADVISORY: Due to an investigation, avoid the area of 36th Street and 4th Avenue area in Brooklyn. Expect emergency vehicles and delays in the surrounding area. pic.twitter.com/xPIAHbtSA7

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 12, 2022

https://twitter.com/derekcfrench/status/1513861902945902599?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1513861902945902599%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2022%2F04%2F12%2Fnypd-investigating-possible-explosion-in-brooklyn-subway-station%2F

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