Detective Chief James Essig said investigators were unsure if the man, identified as Frank R. James, 62, had anything to do with the subway attack. Authorities have been investigating the man’s apparent posts on social media, some of which have prompted officials to step up security measures for New York Mayor Eric Adams. Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell called the posts “worrying.” The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a police station, killing at least 33 people and wounding dozens more. Jordan Javier thought the first sound he heard was a drop in a textbook. Then another pop followed, people started moving towards the front of the car and realized there was smoke, he said. When the train entered the station, people ran outside and headed for another train across from the platform. Passengers cried and prayed as they rode, Javier said. “I’m just grateful to be alive,” he said. Five victims of the shootings were in critical condition but are expected to survive. At least 12 people who survived the shootings were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries. Sewell said the attack was not being investigated as terrorism, but that “it does not rule anything out.” The motive of the perpetrator was unknown. Sitting in the back of the second carriage of the train, the gunman threw two smoke grenades on the floor, pulled out a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol and started firing, Essig said. The video of a rider shows a person raising one hand and showing something like five beats. Passengers in the smoky car slammed into the door of an adjacent car trying to escape, said rider Juliana Fonda, who was in the car next door, on the Gothamist news website. Fonda is a broadcast engineer for the owner of Gothamist, the public radio station WNYC. Investigators believe the perpetrator’s weapon engulfed him and prevented him from firing further, said two law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Essig said police found the weapon, along with extended cartridges, an ax, incendiary and unexploded ordnance, a black trash can, a trolley, petrol and the key to a U-Haul truck. That key led investigators to James, who has addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin, the detective chief said. The van was later found empty near a subway station, where investigators found the gunman had entered the train system, Essig said. The adventurous, blatant YouTube videos apparently posted by James, who is black, are full of black nationalist rhetoric, violent language, and fanatical comments, some of which are directed at other blacks. One, published on April 11, criticizes the crime against blacks and says that drastic action is needed to change things. Many videos mention the New York subway and Adams is a recurring theme. A February 20 video says the mayor and governor’s plan to tackle homelessness and security on the New York subway “is doomed to failure” and refers to himself as a “victim” of the mayor’s mental health program. A January 25 video criticizes Adams’ plan to end armed violence. The attack upset a city on alert over the rise in gun crime and the ever-present threat of terrorism. This has left some New Yorkers worried about driving in the country’s busiest subway system, and has prompted officials to increase policing at Philadelphia-Connecticut transportation hubs. “This person is still free. This person is dangerous “, warned the Governor Kathy Hotsul, Democratic, in a noon press conference. In Menlo, Iowa, President Joe Biden praised “the first responders who jumped into action, including civilians, civilians who did not hesitate to help their fellow passengers and tried to shield them.” After the people got off the train, the fast-thinking train workers led the passengers to another train on the safety platform, officials said. High school student John Boutsikaris was on that other train and initially thought the problem was global until the next stop, when he heard screams for medical help and his train was evacuated. “I’m definitely shocked,” said the 15-year-old. “Even though I did not see what happened, I am still afraid, because what happened was like a few meters away from me.” New York City has seen a wave of high-profile shootings and bloodshed in recent months, including on the city’s subway. One of the most shocking was in January, when a woman was pushed to her death in front of the train by a stranger. Adams, a Democrat who’s just over 100 days in office, has put crime-fighting – especially on the subway – at the heart of his government, pledging to send more police to stations and patrol stations. It was not immediately clear if there were any police officers at the station when the shootings took place. The mayor, who is in solitary confinement following a positive COVID-19 test on Sunday, said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be intimidated, even by one person”.
Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Beatrice Dupuy, Karen Matthews, Julie Walker, Deepti Hajela, Michelle L. Price and David Porter in New York also contributed to this report, and Michael Kunzelman of College Park, Maryland.
