At least 16 people were injured, 10 of them by gunfire, when gunfire rang out during rush hour on the New York City subway on Tuesday morning and explosive devices were found at the scene, they said the police and firefighters.
Homemade photos and videos showed pools of blood and people lying on the floor of a subway train, as well as on the platform of the “36th Street” station in the Brooklyn borough, in a smoky atmosphere.
A fire brigade spokesman said “undetonated explosive devices” were found. According to a police tweet, “there are no usable explosive devices at this time.”
A major security device has been deployed between 36th Street and 4th Avenue in south Brooklyn where the incidents took place.
According to various media, including the NBCNewYork channel and the New York TimesPolice are looking for a man wearing a gas mask and orange overalls like those worn by construction workers in the megacity of nearly 9 million people, the largest city in the United States.
Biden informed
President Joe Biden, who announced new anti-gun measures on Monday, was notified of the shooting and the White House has offered assistance to New York authorities, executive spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
“At 8:27, police received an 911 call from a person who was shot and killed on the subway” in Brooklyn, an NYPD spokesman told AFP, asking the public to avoid the area. According to a fire brigade spokesman, there were “several shots”, smoke and “13 people were injured”. Authorities later announced that there were 16 injuries in all, including 10 gunshot wounds, none life threatening.
New York State Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said she was monitoring the situation and was being kept informed of the investigation into the event.
The attack came as New York City faced a spike in crime from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elected on promises of safety, the new Democratic mayor of New York, Eric Adams, launched a plan in late January to counter the proliferation of firearms, after the death of two policemen killed during an intervention. But other gun dramas have made headlines since then.
For the first quarter of 2022 — January 1 to early April — the number of shootings and shootings in New York City increased from 260 to 296 over the same period in 2021, according to NYPD data released last week.
No investigation for terrorist act
Tuesday’s New York City subway shootings are not currently the subject of a “terrorist investigation,” said city police chief Keechant Sewell.
“As the train entered the station, the individual wore a gas mask. He then opened a canister that was in his bag and the (subway) car filled up with smoke. Then he started shooting,” Keechant Sewell said.
“This is not being investigated for an act of terrorism at this stage. We can also say that although it was a violent act, we don’t have anyone with life threatening injuries,” the NYPD chief said at a news conference in Brooklyn above the subway station where the shootings took place. .
(last updated at 19:12)
