New York, April 12:
Several people were shot at on Tuesday morning at a subway station in Brooklyn, New York, according to reports. Fire personnel responding to reports of smoke at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park found multiple people shot, a New York City Fire Department spokesperson said.
According to news agency AFP, at least 13 people have been injured during the shooting incident. “At 8h27 police responded to a 911 call of a person shot in the subway” in Brooklyn,” the spokeswoman said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was on the scene, and the FBI said it also was responding. There are no active explosive devices, the NYPD said on Twitter shortly before 10am.
Police said they were searching for a Black man with an orange construction vest and a gas mask who is about 5 feet, 8 inches and weighs about 175 to 180 pounds.
Service has been halted on the D, N and R trains in Brooklyn and some stations in Manhattan, and commuters were told to expect major delays on those lines as well as the B, F and Q. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority urged riders to take alternate subway or bus lines.
The city’s fire department gave the injuries toll, with ABC News quoting police sources as saying at least five people had been shot.
A photo from the scene showed people tending to bloodied passengers lying on the floor station. Trains servicing that station were delayed during the morning commute.
Local schools were placed on lockdown, according to Democratic Councilwoman Alexa Aviles, who represents the area. No other information was immediately available.
New York governor Kathy Hochul said she has been briefed on the incident. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has Covid and was isolating, continues to be briefed, according to a spokesman.
“President Biden has been briefed on the latest developments regarding the New York City subway shooting,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “White House senior staff are in touch with mayor Adams and police commissioner Sewell to offer any assistance as needed.”
The incident comes as the MTA struggles to restore subway ridership to pre-pandemic levels while crime and people seeking shelter in the system have increased. About 3.3 million people ride the subway during the weekday, down from an average 5.5 million in 2019, according to the MTA’s latest ridership data.
The 36th Street station was serving about 13,342 weekday riders in 2019 before the pandemic. In 2020, it served about 6,000.
