Twenty-nine victims were taken to Brooklyn hospitals with various injuries. Five people were seriously injured and have since stabilized, according to a fire department official. Police described the gunman, who is still at large, as an “active gunman”. The bloodshed comes amid rising crime in New York City’s transportation system. Police officers work at the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn area of New York, April 12, 2022. In this photo from social media videos, passengers run from a subway car to a station in Brooklyn, New York, April 12, 2022. The shooting, reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. Local time, it exploded in a N subway car bound for Manhattan as it approached the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told a news conference. According to a police official, the suspect was seen muttering to himself before putting on the gas mask, released a can of tobacco commonly bought on the Internet and opened fire with a 0.380 caliber pistol. A credit card was also recovered from the spot and investigators said the card was used to rent a U-Haul, according to a police source. Police located the vehicle in Graveson, Brooklyn, on Tuesday afternoon, about five miles southeast of the subway station, and were investigating whether it had anything to do with the suspect, the source said. New York Mayor Eric Adams told WABC radio that police are working to find as much information and clues as possible from the vehicle. “We want to make sure that all the evidence that is gathered will help us to arrest this person. We need to make sure that we protect them properly so that we can convict this person of this,” he said. There were no cameras operating at the 36th Street station, according to a police official. The cameras, which target the turnstiles, were not broadcast in real time due to a malfunction of the computer, a source said. The same error affected the cameras at the stops before and after 36th Street. However, police were able to take a picture of the suspect from the video of a passerby by mobile phone, a law enforcement official told ABC News. At the subway station, police found a pistol with three extended cartridges: one in the perpetrator’s backpack, one empty on the floor and one in the gun, a law enforcement official said. The gunfight is believed to have saved lives, the official said. Police officers walk near the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn area of New York, April 12, 2022. Emergency personnel work near the shooting scene at a subway station in the Brooklyn area of New York, April 12, 2022. Yav Montano, 24, was on the train when he said the whole car was covered in smoke. “It was hard to breathe, it was hard to see. It was hard to hear or notice what was going on with the chaos that was happening,” he said. “I did not see anything because the smoke on the train was so thick. I could not see even half the length of the train car,” he added. “After the smoke ignited, a pile erupted, which at first I thought were crackers,” he continued. “I leaned back in 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. “ New York City police and fire officials at the scene of a shooting at a New York subway station in the Brooklyn area of New York on April 12, 2022. Law enforcement officers work near the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn area of New York on April 12, 2022. Montano said the doors opened on 36th Street about three to four minutes later. “As soon as the doors opened, everyone started pouring and running,” he recalls. According to a law enforcement official, several tobacco devices and a bag of commercial quality fireworks were found. Sewell said there are no known explosives in the subway and the motive is still unknown. After initially saying the shooting was not being investigated as a terrorist act, Sewell later said police “do not rule anything out.” Brooklyn Subway Shooting Map Sewell described the suspect as a man wearing a green construction vest and a gray hooded sweatshirt. The suspect has “heavy physique” and is believed to be about 5 feet and 5 inches tall, Sewell said. A man working in a bodega outside the subway told the ABC station WABC in New York that 10 to 15 people ran to his store for safety. “It was scary,” he said. “I saw three or four people with gunshot wounds to their legs. They just fell to the floor before the police arrived … They stayed here for a few minutes before the shore was clear,” he said. “Everyone was terrified, I was terrified.” Emergency personnel gather at the entrance to a subway station in Brooklyn, New York, April 12, 2022. Police officers walk near the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn area of New York, April 12, 2022. The victims range in age from 17 to 50, according to a police official. A senior federal law enforcement source said ABC News authorities were concerned that the shooting showed a level of planning and commitment to kill dozens of passengers during rush hour. The source said it was too early to know if the suspect acted alone. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorca have been briefed on the situation, the White House said. President Joe Biden said Tuesday afternoon that he “prays for those who have been injured and for all those affected by this trauma.” “And we are grateful for all the first responders – including citizens, who did not hesitate to help their fellow passengers,” Biden said. “We will continue to be in close contact with the New York authorities as we learn more about the situation,” he said. The FBI is assisting and ATF officials are on the scene. New York Governor Kathy Hochul was also present at the scene for an afternoon press conference. Anyone with information, videos or photos, please call 800-577-TIPS. This is a story that unfolds. Check again for updates. ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Mark Crudele, Miles Cohen and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
