Multiple people were shot Tuesday morning on the platform of a Brooklyn subway station, according to officials from the New York Fire Department and New York Police Department. Police were called to the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park district just before 8:30 AM, where they found multiple people wounded by gunfire and a series of “undetonated devices.” Right now, though, reports are unclear.
Initial reports claimed five people were shot, but more recent reporting has raised the number to thirteen including non-gunfire injuries. Jalopnik reached out to FDNY and NYPD representatives, but neither commented on the shooting or the nature of the devices discovered in the 36 Street station. The NYPD News Twitter account has stated no active explosives are currently present in the area, but police are nonetheless warning civilians to avoid the area.
Police are searching for a man in a gas mask and orange construction vest who is not yet in custody and is currently the main suspect. Little information has been confirmed, beyond this, but this story will continue updating as we learn more.
UPDATE April 12, 2022 at 11:26 a.m. ET: According to ABC 7, who spoke with FDNY, sixteen people were injured including eight gunshot victims. Police now believe the attack to have been carried out across two stations, between 25th and 36th streets, which aligns with video purportedly taken from the train itself as it arrived at 36th street. We will not be embedding that video here, due to its graphic content, but those interested can view it on Twitter here.
Service has been either suspended or disrupted on the D/N/R/W/Q subway lines through Brooklyn as police investigate. Schools in the area are also reportedly sheltering in place.
UPDATE April 12, 2022 at 12:35 p.m. ET: Officials from FDNY, NYPD, and the Governor’s office held a press conference just after noon with further updates. Sixteen people are confirmed to have been injured, with ten of those injuries coming from gunshot wounds. The remainder are due to smoke inhalation, panic, and shrapnel, which FDNY reports was not due to explosives.
NYPD commissioner Keechant Sewell stated that the attack began on the train, rather than in the 36th Street station. As the train arrived, a passenger donned a gas mask and released a smoke canister into the car before opening fire. Police are on the lookout for an individual standing approximately 5'5" and wearing a green construction vest, rather than orange as previously reported.
The attack is not currently being investigated by NYPD as a terrorist incident or a hate attack, but commissioner Sewell stated that no motive is currently known and thus none have been ruled out. The NYPD/FBI joint terrorism task force and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are participating in the investigation.
UPDATE April 12, 2022 at 6:24 p.m. ET: Officials now have a suspect in the shooting. Police identified a U-Haul van as being “connected” to the attack, which was later found in Gravesend. The van was reportedly rented with a credit card found at the scene, giving the NYPD a name for the suspect. Law enforcement claims this identity was confirmed by cell phone footage of the attack. The suspect’s name has not been released, and they remain at large.