FILE photo – Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — More than 102,000 customers in Texas and Louisiana are without power after a storm system ripe with tornado conditions ripped through the region, according to PowerOutage.us.
Eight tornados were reported in Iowa and Texas overnight with some severe damage reported.
Texas, Louisiana, Iowa and Minnesota were just some of the states that were under a tornado watch on Tuesday from a system that affected 45 million Americans with severe weather through the night, according to the National Weather Service. Tornados and heavy gusts were forecast from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Evansville, Indiana.
On Monday night, at least six tornados were reported in nearby Arkansas.
More tornados are expected on Wednesday. The biggest threat for strong tornadoes Wednesday will be from Indianapolis to St. Louis; Louisville, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; and down to Jackson, Mississippi. A tornado watch has been issued for portions of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and southern Illinois through Wednesday afternoon.
The severe tornado conditions are a continuation from March, which saw record-breaking tornado activity in the U.S. with 218 — the most to ever occur in that month, according to the National Weather Service.
The energy sector in Texas has been under scrutiny after an uncharacteristic winter freeze caused massive failures on the state’s power grid in 2021. The state experienced another mass power outage this past February as a result of another winter storm, when more than 50,000 customers lost power.
Last summer, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill to reform the state’s power grid and how it is operated in response to the power crisis.
More than 48,000 customers were without power in Texas as of Wednesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.
(NEW YORK) — New York City police are still hunting for a gunman who opened fire on a rush-hour subway train in Brooklyn, shooting 10 people.
The alleged shooter, identified by the New York City Police Department as 62-year-old Frank Robert James, was initially deemed a person of interest in the investigation before being named a suspect on Wednesday morning. There was a $50,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
“At this time, based on the preliminary investigation, we believe he was alone,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview Wednesday on Good Morning America.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that police now have probable cause to arrest James for the attempted murder of 10 people — a determination made overnight after more than 18 hours of investigation that included video, cellphone data and interviews with witnesses. The United States Marshals Service have joined the search for James — who is now considered a wanted fugitive — along with other federal and local agencies.
The shooting unfolded on a Manhattan-bound N subway car during the Tuesday morning commute, just before 8:30 a.m. ET, as the train approached the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, according to police.
A man, who was seen mumbling to himself on the train, donned a gas mask and detonated a smoke canister commonly bought online before pulling out a .38-caliber handgun and opening fire, a police official told ABC News. He fired a barrage of at least 33 bullets, striking 10 people, according to police. The gun jammed during the incident, which is believed to have saved lives, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
Smoke poured out of the subway car as the doors opened and screaming riders ran out onto the platform of the station. Bloodied people were seen lying on the floor of the train and the platform as others attempted to administer aid.
A total of 29 people were transported from the scene to local hospitals with various injuries. Five of the gunshot victims were critically injured and have since stabilized, a fire department official told ABC News. As of Wednesday morning, just four of the wounded remained hospitalized, according to the New York City mayor.
Police described the gunman as an “active shooter.”
“At this time, we still do not know the suspect’s motivation,” New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference Tuesday evening. “Clearly this individual boarded the train and was intent on violence.”
A senior federal law enforcement source told ABC News that authorities are concerned Tuesday’s shooting showed a level of planning and commitment to kill scores of commuters during rush hour. The New York City mayor said there’s currently no evidence to suggest the gunman had any accomplices.
Senior law enforcement officials told ABC News that they have uncovered a number of social media posts and videos tied to the suspect, James, and are studying them closely to see if they are relevant to the subway attack. In one video posted to YouTube just hours before Tuesday’s shooting, James appears to be driving a truck.
The New York City police commissioner said she increased security for the mayor after investigators found what she called “concerning posts,” but declined to call them “threats.”
“There are some postings possibly connected to our person of interest where he mentions homelessness, he mentions New York and he does mention Mayor Adams,” Sewell told reporters Tuesday evening. “And as a result of that, in an abundance of caution, we’re going to tighten the mayor’s security detail.”
Police said James had rented a U-Haul van possibly connected to the violence. The key to the van and a credit card, which law enforcement sources told ABC News was used to rent a U-Haul, were among the gunman’s possessions recovered from the scene of the shooting. James had rented the same van in Philadelphia, according to police.
Police said the U-Haul van was found on Tuesday afternoon, unoccupied and parked near a subway station on King’s Highway in Brooklyn’s Gravesend neighborhood, about 5 miles southeast of the 36th Street station. Nothing of investigative interest was discovered in the vehicle, apart from a pillow and other indications that James had been living inside, a law enforcement source told ABC News.
Other items discovered at the scene of the shooting include the Glock 9 mm semi-automatic handgun used in the attack, three extended magazines, a hatchet, gasoline, four smoke grenades and a bag of consumer-grade fireworks. The gun was not stolen, according to police. Investigators are sifting through evidence looking for any possible fingerprints on the gun and the other recovered items.
None of the surveillance cameras inside the 36th Street subway station were working at the time of Tuesday’s shooting, a police official told ABC News. The cameras, which are aimed at the turnstiles, didn’t transmit in real-time due to a glitch computer malfunction, a source said. The same glitch impacted cameras at the stops before and after 36th Street. Investigators said they are looking into how this malfunction happened.
However, the cameras at the Kings Highway subway station in Gravesend were transmitting live feeds in real-time. That’s where investigators believe James entered the subway on Tuesday morning, just blocks from where the U-Haul van was parked and eight subway stops away from 36th Street station.
Police were able to get an image of the suspect from a bystander’s cellphone video, a law enforcement official told ABC News. Investigators are looking through video from other witnesses and surrounding businesses, hunting for any clues.
Subway service resumed at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park on Wednesday morning, after police concluded their investigation there.
The bloodshed came amid a surge in crime within New York City’s transit system. The mayor said he has already doubled the number of police officers patrolling the city’s subway stations and is also considering installing special metal detectors in the wake of Tuesday’s shooting.
Anyone with information, videos or photos related to the shooting is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
(NEW YORK) — Kenneth Foote-Smith was on the subway when a gunman detonated a smoke canister, sending commuters into panic.
He saw women screaming and “banging on the door,” and a man trying to open the subway car door, “fighting for his life.”
“That’s when I knew something was very, very wrong and that’s before the gunshots even happened,” Foote-Smith told ABC News’ Good Morning America.
Ten people were shot by a gunman on a Manhattan-bound N subway car during the Tuesday morning commute as the train approached the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, according to the New York City Police Department.
The gunman — who remains at large — donned a gas mask and detonated a smoke canister before pulling out a .38-caliber handgun and opening fire, a police official told ABC News.
Twenty-nine people suffered injuries overall.
Foote-Smith said the first interruption to his commute was “a loud bang, sounded almost like glass breaking.”
“Everyone on my train got up and hurriedly moved toward the conductor’s door, and before I could turn to see what they were fleeing from, there were three loud bangs — and it was much closer and much different noise than that first bang,” he said.
Foote-Smith said he looked at the next subway car and saw a man “banging on our door, trying to open it up with all the ounce of power he can — and the door is not moving.”
That’s when smoke started filling up that neighboring car.
“Once my eyes adjusted to this really thick, white smoke filling up the car, I saw faces pressed against the glass of their subway connector door. And it was women’s faces and they were screaming, they were banging on the door,” he said. “And once we saw that gentleman banging on the door for — fighting for his life, that’s when we noticed — that’s when I knew something was very, very wrong and that’s before the gunshots even happened.”
The gunshots rang out as the train approached the 36th Street station, Foote-Smith said.
“It was three or four quick ‘pop, pop, pops,'” he said, “and everyone on my train immediately knew what it was.”
“No one screamed or said anything, we were just pleading with the conductor to please move this train,” he said. “He does eventually come out and sees the smoke — and the smoke at this point has now completely filled the car. I can’t see into the [neighboring] railway car anymore and people spilled out onto that small platform between the trains and the screams have now increased. “
“This is the moment when the gentleman in our train decides to try and open the subway connector door from our side — after we were frozen in fear for maybe the longest 30 seconds of our life –.and the door still jammed,” he said. “Now have to watch as people scream and struggle and try and fight for their lives for something we don’t know.”
There were more gunshots as the train pulled up to the station, he said.
“As soon as the subway doors opened, it’s a sea of people coming out of the subway,” he said. “I saw people with gunshot wounds and stumbling and pushing people over, coughing and choking on smoke.”
In the chaos, he said a conductor led passengers onto another train.
“My first thought when we got on that train, though, was, is the shooter still with us?” Foote-Smith said.
Police have named a suspect in the shooting — 62-year-old Frank R. James.
James is now considered a wanted fugitive. The U.S. Marshals have joined the search along with the NYPD, FBI, ATF and other agencies.
(NEW YORK) — New York City police are still hunting on Wednesday morning for a gunman who opened fire on a rush-hour subway train in Brooklyn.
The shooting unfolded on a Manhattan-bound N subway car during the Tuesday morning commute, just before 8:30 a.m. ET, as the train approached the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, according to the New York City Police Department.
A man, who was seen mumbling to himself on the train, donned a gas mask and detonated a smoke canister commonly bought online before pulling out a .38-caliber handgun and opening fire, a police official told ABC News. He fired a barrage of at least 33 bullets, shooting 10 people, according to police.
The gun jammed during the incident, which is believed to have saved lives, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
A total of 29 people were transported from the scene to local hospitals with various injuries. Five of the gunshot victims were critically injured and have since stabilized, a fire department official told ABC News. The bloodshed comes amid a surge in crime on New York City’s transit system.
Police described the gunman, who is still on the run, as an “active shooter.”
“At this time, we still do not know the suspect’s motivation,” New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at press conference Tuesday evening. “Clearly this individual boarded the train and was intent on violence.”
A senior federal law enforcement source told ABC News that authorities are concerned Tuesday’s shooting showed a level of planning and commitment to kill scores of commuters during rush hour. The source said it is too early to know if the suspect acted alone.
Police said they are also looking for the renter of a U-Haul van possibly connected to the violence. Frank R. James, 62, has been identified by police as “a person of interest in this investigation” and there’s a $50,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
The key to the van and a credit card, which law enforcement sources told ABC News was used to rent a U-Haul, were among the gunman’s possessions recovered from the scene of the shooting. James had rented the same van in Philadelphia, according to police, who noted that investigators weren’t sure whether he had any link to the attack.
“We are endeavoring to locate him to determine his connection to the subway shooting, if any,” James Essig, the New York City Police Department’s Chief of Detectives, said at the press conference Tuesday evening.
Senior law enforcement officials told ABC News that they have uncovered a number of social media posts and videos tied to James and are studying them closely to see if they are relevant to the subway attack.
Police said the U-Haul van was found on Tuesday afternoon, unoccupied and parked near a subway station on King’s Highway in Brooklyn’s Gravesend neighborhood, about 5 miles southeast of the 36th Street station. Investigators are working to determine if the U-Haul van has any connection to the suspect and are asking the public for their help with any information on what might have happened between the location where the vehicle was parked and the eight subway stops to 36th Street.
Other items discovered at the scene of the shooting include the Glock 9 mm semi-automatic handgun used in the attack, three extended magazines, a hatchet, gasoline, four smoke grenades and a bag of consumer-grade fireworks. The gun was not stolen, according to police. Investigators are sifting through evidence looking for any possible fingerprints on the gun and the other recovered items.
None of the surveillance cameras inside the 36th Street subway station were working at the time of Tuesday’s shooting, a police official told ABC News. The cameras, which are aimed at the turnstiles, didn’t transmit in real-time due to a glitch computer malfunction, a source said. The same glitch impacted cameras at the stops before and after 36th Street. Investigators are looking into how this malfunction happened.
Nevertheless, police were able to get an image of the suspect from a bystander’s cellphone video, a law enforcement official told ABC News. Investigators are looking through video from other witnesses and surrounding businesses, hunting for any clues that point to a suspect.
Anyone with information, videos or photos related to the shooting is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
(NEW YORK) — The New York City Police Department has announced a person of interest in connection with Tuesday morning’s subway shooting in Brooklyn.
Investigators said they are looking for Frank James and released a photo of the person, asking the public to call NYPD Crime Stoppers with any information on his current whereabouts.
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
A gunman donned a gas mask, detonated a smoke canister and opened fire on a New York City subway train Tuesday morning, shooting 10 people and sparking panic during the rush-hour commute. The suspect fired 33 times, according to police.
Twenty-nine victims went to Brooklyn hospitals with various injuries. Five people were critically injured and have since stabilized, according to a fire department official.
Police described the gunman, who is still on the run, as an “active shooter.” The bloodshed comes amid a surge in crime on New York City’s transit system.
The shooting, reported just before 8:30 a.m. local time, erupted on a Manhattan-bound N subway car as it approached the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference.
According to a police official, the suspect was seen mumbling before he put on the gas mask, released a smoke canister commonly bought online and opened fire with a .380 caliber handgun.
The gun jammed during the incident, according to a police official.
Investigators recovered the gun, three extended magazines, a hatchet, gasoline, four smoke grenades and a bag of consumer-grade fireworks, according to police. The gun was not stolen, police said.
A credit card was also recovered from the scene and investigators said the card was used to rent a U-Haul, according to a police source. Keys to the vehicle were also found in the shooter’s possession, according to police.
Investigators located the vehicle in Gravesend, Brooklyn, on Tuesday afternoon, roughly five miles southeast of the subway station and were investigating to determine if it has any connection to the suspect, according to the police.
Police later said James rented the van in Philadelphia. There is a $50,000 reward for information that leads to his wherabouts.
The NYPD said it is still piecing together clues about the suspected shooter.
“At this time, we still do not know the suspect’s motivation. Clearly this individual boarded the train and was intent on violence,” police commissioner Keechant Sewell said at an evening press conference.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told New York station WABC that police are working on getting as much evidence and clues from the vehicle as they can.
“We want to make sure that all of the evidence that is gathered is going to assist us in apprehending this person. We must make sure that we have it protected correctly so that we can convict this person for,” he said.
There were no working cameras in the 36th Street station, according to a police official. The cameras, which are aimed at the turnstiles, didn’t transmit in real-time due to a glitch computer malfunction, a source said. The same glitch impacted cameras at the stops before and after 36th Street.
Investigators are looking into how this malfunction happened.
But police were able to get an image of the suspect from a bystander’s cellphone video, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
Yav Montano, 24, was on the train when he said the whole car filled with smoke.
“It was hard to breathe, it was hard to see. It was hard to hear or pay attention to what was going on with the chaos that was happening,” he said.
“I didn’t see anything because the smoke in the train was so thick. I couldn’t even see halfway down the length of the train car,” he added.
“After the smoke went on, there was a bunch of popping, which I thought at first was firecrackers,” he went on. “I ducked behind a chair to protect myself.”
From a crouching position on the floor, Montano said, “I saw a lot of blood on the floor. Too much blood.”
Montano said the doors opened at 36th Street about three to four minutes later. “As soon as the doors opened, everyone started to pour out and run,” he recalled.
Multiple smoke devices and a bag of commercial-grade fireworks have been recovered, according to a law enforcement official.
Sewell said there are no known explosives on subways and a motive is still unknown.
After initially saying the shooting was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, Sewell later said police are “not ruling anything out.”
Sewell described the suspect as a man wearing a green construction-type vest and a gray-hooded sweatshirt. The suspect has a “heavy build” and is believed to be about 5 feet 5 inches tall, Sewell said.
A man who works in a bodega outside the subway told ABC New York station WABC about 10 to 15 people ran to his store for safety.
“It was horrifying,” he said.
“I saw three or four people with gunshot wounds to their legs. They just fell to floor before the cops came…They just stayed here for a couple of minutes before the coast was clear,” he said. “Everyone was terrified, I was terrified.”
A senior federal law enforcement source told ABC News authorities are concerned this shooting showed a level of planning and commitment to kill scores of commuters during rush hour. The source said it is too early to know if the suspect acted alone.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have been briefed on the situation, the White House said.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday afternoon that he’s “praying for those that are injured and all those touched by that trauma.”
“And we’re grateful for all the first responders … including civilians, who didn’t hesitate to help their fellow passengers,” Biden said.
Freelance photographer Derek French, who was on the platform when the incident took place, told ABC News how he and two other good Samaritans created makeshift tourniquets out of a jacket and applied them to the wounded.
“When I saw the pool of blood from one of the victims I essentially just snapped into first-aid mode,” French said, noting he’d previously trained with the Red Cross.
“It wasn’t a second thought, it was that I needed to do that,” he said.
The FBI is assisting and officials from the ATF are at the scene.
Later in the evening, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul visited victims who were recuperating at Maimondes Hospital
One of the victims was an 18-year-old student on the way to school, she said. The student was awaiting surgery, according to the governor.
“He seems to be doing well, and is in very good spirits, as well as his mother and grandmother who are there,” Hochul said.
The governor also said she spoke to the mother of a 16-year-old victim who had just undergone surgery.
“All she has is her son,” she added. “So I had a long, long hug with her and let her know that we send the love of all New Yorkers.”
Anyone with information, video or photos related to the shooting is urged to call 800-577-TIPS.
(NEW YORK) — Authorities in Suffolk County, New York, on Tuesday released video evidence from the unsolved Gilgo Beach murders, showing the last known surveillance of Megan Waterman, one of the victims.
Suffolk County Police also announced it is doubling the Crime Stoppers reward to $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Waterman, whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach in 2010, was last seen at Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, New York, in June 2010. She had advertised escort services on Craigslist.
The remains of 10 people were found in 2010 and 2011 in the weedy sections off Ocean Parkway near Jones Beach. At the time, police said half of the identified victims worked as prostitutes.
Earlier this year, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison created the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force. The task force includes representatives from the FBI, New York State Police, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office.
In 2020, police released photos of a belt believed to be handled by the suspect, which did not belong to any of the victims, hoping to advance the investigation.
Authorities discovered the remains during the search for Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker from New Jersey, but she is not believed to be tied to the other deaths because she did not match the pattern of the Gilgo Beach homicides, police said in 2020.
Remains found on Dec. 11, 2010 during the search for Gilbert, were later identified as the remains of 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy. Two days later, three more victims were found on Ocean Parkway. They were later identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Amber Lynn Costello, 27; and Megan Waterman, 22.
All four women worked as Craigslist escorts.
The remains of another woman who worked as an escort were found on March 29, 2011, but the remains have not been identified.
On April 4, 2011, three more sets of remains were found on Ocean Parkway, which were those of a toddler, an unidentified Asian male and a third victim who was later identified as Valerie Mack.
Two more sets of remains were found a week later, one of which was discovered to be the mother of the toddler. The mother’s partial remains were first found in 1997.
(HOUSTON) — A 23-second running gun battle in which 30 to 50 shots were fired during a teen’s birthday party at a rented Airbnb house in a suburb of Houston left one person wounded and police searching for suspects, authorities said.
Ring doorbell camera footage from a home near the party house was obtained by ABC station KTRK in Houston and captured the chaotic scene of multiple people running down a residential street and diving behind parked cars for cover as the gun violence unfolded.
“There were so many shots, I just can’t believe more weren’t wounded, killed, more damage,” a woman who lives near the Airbnb rental and witnessed the incident after arriving home with her daughter told KTRK. “You know it could have been so much worse.”
Investigator Robert Gonzales of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened Saturday night in Manville, about 24 miles south of Houston. He said one teenager was shot in the foot.
Gonzales said the shooting erupted when a fight broke at a 16th birthday party that was being held at the rented Airbnb house.
No arrests were reported as of Tuesday morning.
“We’re attempting to locate and get more information from the public,” Gonzales said.
Authorities said at least three guns were involved in the shooting, which left numerous cars in the neighborhood pocked with bullet holes and at least one window of a neighboring home shattered.
Airbnb said in a statement that it has removed the home from its website and suspended the person who rented it pending its own investigation.
“Airbnb bans parties, and we condemn this senseless gun violence,” the company said in its statement. “We have reached out to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office and stand ready to support their investigation. We take party house issues seriously and support fair regulations that balance anti-party measures while empowering our local Host community to continue earning meaningful additional income.”
The Texas shooting happened on the same day as another shooting at an Airbnb rental house in the Sacramento, Calif., suburb of Elk Grove left an 18-year-old man dead, according to the Elk Grove Police Department. No arrests have been made.
A preliminary investigation found that the Airbnb rental was being used for a party at the time of the fatal shooting in Elk Grove, police said in a statement. Detectives suspect there were 10 to 15 people at the house party but most were gone when officers arrived and found the victim inside the house, according to the statement.
(NEW YORK) — A gunman donned a gas mask, detonated a smoke canister and opened fire on a New York City subway train Tuesday morning, shooting 10 people and sparking panic during the rush-hour commute.
Twenty-nine victims went to Brooklyn hospitals with various injuries. Five people were critically injured and have since stabilized, according to a fire department official.
Police described the gunman, who is still on the run, as an “active shooter.” The bloodshed comes amid a surge in crime on New York City’s transit system.
The shooting, reported just before 8:30 a.m. local time, erupted on a Manhattan-bound N subway car as it approached the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference.
According to a police official, the suspect was seen mumbling to himself before he put on the gas mask, released a smoke canister commonly bought online and opened fire with a .380 caliber handgun.
A credit card was also recovered from the scene and investigators said the card was used to rent a U-Haul, according to a police source. Police located the vehicle in Gravesend, Brooklyn, on Tuesday afternoon, roughly five miles southeast of the subway station and were investigating to determine if it has any connection to the suspect, the source said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told New York station WABC that police are working to get as much evidence and clues from the vehicle as they can.
“We want to make sure that all of the evidence that is gathered is going to assist us in apprehending this person. We must make sure that we have it protected correctly so that we can convict this person for,” he said.
There were no working cameras in the 36th Street station, according to a police official. The cameras, which are aimed at the turnstiles, didn’t transmit in real-time due to a glitch computer malfunction, a source said. The same glitch impacted cameras at the stops before and after 36th Street.
But police were able to get an image of the suspect from a bystander’s cellphone video, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
In the subway station, police found a handgun with three extended round magazines: one on the shooter’s backpack, one empty on the floor and one in the gun jammed, the law enforcement official said. The gun jamming is believed to have saved lives, the official said.
Yav Montano, 24, was on the train when he said the whole car filled with smoke.
“It was hard to breathe, it was hard to see. It was hard to hear or pay attention to what was going on with the chaos that was happening,” he said.
“I didn’t see anything because the smoke in the train was so thick. I couldn’t even see halfway down the length of the train car,” he added.
“After the smoke went on there was a bunch of popping, which I thought at first was firecrackers,” he went on. “I ducked behind a chair to protect myself.”
From a crouching position on the floor, Montano said, “I saw a lot of blood on the floor. Too much blood.”
Montano said the doors opened at 36th Street about three to four minutes later. “As soon as the doors opened, everyone started to pour out and run,” he recalled.
Multiple smoke devices and a bag of commercial-grade fireworks have been recovered, according to a law enforcement official.
Sewell said there are no known explosives on subways and a motive is still unknown.
After initially saying the shooting was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, Sewell later said police are “not ruling anything out.”
Sewell described the suspect as a man wearing a green construction-type vest and a gray-hooded sweatshirt. The suspect has a “heavy build” and is believed to be about 5 feet 5 inches tall, Sewell said.
A man who works in a bodega outside the subway told ABC New York station WABC about 10 to 15 people ran to his store for safety.
“It was horrifying,” he said.
“I saw three or four people with gunshot wounds to their legs. They just fell to floor before the cops came…They just stayed here for a couple of minutes before the coast was clear,” he said. “Everyone was terrified, I was terrified.”
Victims range in age from 17 to 50, according to a police official.
A senior federal law enforcement source told ABC News authorities are concerned this shooting showed a level of planning and commitment to kill scores of commuters during rush hour. The source said it is too early to know if the suspect acted alone.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have been briefed on the situation, the White House said.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday afternoon that he’s “praying for those that are injured and all those touched by that trauma.”
“And we’re grateful for all the first responders … including civilians, who didn’t hesitate to help their fellow passengers,” Biden said.
“We’re gonna continue to stay in close contact with New York authorities as we learn more about the situation,” he said.
The FBI is assisting and officials from the ATF are at the scene. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was also at the scene for an afternoon news conference.
Anyone with information, video or photos is urged to call 800-577-TIPS.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Mark Crudele, Miles Cohen and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A gunman donned a gas mask, detonated a smoke canister and opened fire on a New York City subway train Tuesday morning, shooting 10 people and sparking panic during the rush-hour commute.
Twenty-nine victims went to Brooklyn hospitals with various injuries. Five people are in critical but stable condition.
Police described the gunman, who is still on the run, as an “active shooter.” The bloodshed comes amid a surge in crime on New York City’s transit system.
The shooting, reported just before 8:30 a.m. local time, erupted on a Manhattan-bound N subway car as it approached the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference.
According to a police official, the suspect was seen mumbling to himself before he put on the gas mask, released a smoke canister commonly bought online and opened fire with a .380 caliber handgun.
There were no working cameras in the 36th Street station, according to a police official. But police were able to get an image of the suspect from a bystander’s cellphone video, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
In the subway station, police found a handgun with three extended round magazines: one on the shooter’s backpack, one empty on the floor and one in the gun jammed, the law enforcement official said. The gun jamming is believed to have saved lives, the official said.
Yav Montano, 24, was on the train when he said the whole car filled with smoke.
“It was hard to breathe, it was hard to see. It was hard to hear or pay attention to what was going on with the chaos that was happening,” he said.
“I didn’t see anything because the smoke in the train was so thick. I couldn’t even see halfway down the length of the train car,” he added.
“After the smoke went on there was a bunch of popping, which I thought at first was firecrackers,” he went on. “I ducked behind a chair to protect myself.”
From a crouching position on the floor, Montano said, “I saw a lot of blood on the floor. Too much blood.”
Montano said the doors opened at 36th Street about three to four minutes later. “As soon as the doors opened, everyone started to pour out and run,” he recalled.
Multiple smoke devices and a bag of commercial-grade fireworks have been recovered, according to a law enforcement official.
Sewell said there are no known explosives on subways and a motive in still unknown.
After initially saying the shooting was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, Sewell later said police are “not ruling anything out.”
Sewell described the suspect as a man wearing a green construction-type vest and a gray-hooded sweatshirt. The suspect has a “heavy build” and is believed to be about 5 feet 5 inches tall, Sewell said.
The NYPD has put out a citywide alert for a U-Haul vehicle with license plate AL31408 that may be associated with the suspect, according to police sources.
A man who works in a bodega outside the subway told ABC New York station WABC about 10 to 15 people ran to his store for safety.
“It was horrifying,” he said.
“I saw three or four people with gunshot wounds to their legs. They just fell to floor before the cops came. … They just stayed here for a couple of minutes before the coast was clear,” he said. “Everyone was terrified, I was terrified.”
Victims range in age from 17 to 50, according to a police official.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told NY1, “We are going to remain vigilant and catch the person responsible.”
A senior federal law enforcement source told ABC News authorities are concerned this shooting showed a level of planning and commitment to kill scores of commuters during rush hour. The source said it is too early to know if the suspect acted alone.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have been briefed on the situation.
Anyone with information, video or photos is urged to call 800-577-TIPS.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Mark Crudele, Ivan Pereira, Miles Cohen and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A gunman donned a gas mask, detonated a smoke canister and opened fire on a New York City subway train Tuesday morning, injuring at least 16 people and sparking panic during the rush-hour commute.
Ten people were shot and six suffered other injuries, officials said. Five people are in critical but stable condition.
Police described the gunman, who is still on the run, as an “active shooter.” The bloodshed in Brooklyn comes amid a surge in crime on New York City’s transit system.
The shooting, reported just before 8:30 a.m. local time, erupted on a Manhattan-bound N subway car as it approached the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference. The train filled with smoke as the suspect opened fire, she said.
A man who works in a bodega outside the subway told ABC New York station WABC about 10 to 15 people ran to his store for safety.
“It was horrifying,” he said.
“I saw three or four people with gunshot wounds to their legs. They just fell to floor before the cops came. … They just stayed here for a couple of minutes before the coast was clear,” he said. “Everyone was terrified, I was terrified.”
Sewell described the suspect as a man wearing a green construction-type vest and a gray-hooded sweatshirt. The suspect has a “heavy build” and is believed to be about 5 feet 5 inches tall, Sewell said.
Sewell said there are no known explosives on subways.
She said a motive isn’t known, and while she initially said the shooting isn’t being investigated as an act of terrorism, she later said, “We’re not ruling anything out.”
Schools in the area are on “shelter in place” protocols, officials said. Students are being kept inside but the school day is going on as normal.
Konrad Aderer told ABC News Live he was heading toward the subway station at about 8:30 a.m. when he saw a man bleeding from his legs.
“It was kind of shocking, of course. I wanted to know more,” he said, adding, “I just figured I can’t do much good here and I’ll just be in the way … the best thing for me to do is to leave immediately.”
At that point, he said, “I saw police and emergency vehicles already flooding in.”
President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have been briefed on the situation.
The FBI is assisting the NYPD and officials from the ATF are at the scene.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was at the scene in Brooklyn for the afternoon news conference.
Both the Massachusetts State Police and the Washington, D.C., Transit Police said they’re monitoring the situation although there are no known threats.
Anyone with information, video or photos is urged to call 800-577-TIPS.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Ivan Pereira and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
