10 people shot on Brooklyn subway

Police and emergency personnel (above) crowd the streets near a subway station in New York City, following a rush-hour shooting in the Brooklyn borough.

A man in a gas mask shot 10 people on a packed New York subway train during the morning rush-hour yesterday, setting off a smoke bomb before opening fire on terrified passengers. Police have launched a massive manhunt for the shooter, but said the incident in Brooklyn was not being investigated as an act of terrorism and that none of the injuries were considered life-threatening. New York Police Department (NYPD) commissioner Keechant Sewell said that the suspected gunman put on a gas mask just as the train was arriving at 36th Street station. “He then opened the canister that was in his bag and then the car filled with smoke. After that he began shooting,” Sewell said. The city fire department said six other people were wounded as panicked passengers fled the smoke-filled train, which pulled up to the platform moments after the shooting. Sewell described the suspect as a lone “male, black, approximately 5’ 5” with a heavy build”, wearing a green construction type vest and a grey hooded sweatshirt. Police were alerted to the shooting just before 8.30am (1230 GMT). Verified video footage posted on social media showed the train pulling into the 36th Street station, and smoke billowing out the doors as passengers rushed off, some apparently injured. Further video footage posted on Instagram appeared to show passengers tending to bloodied victims lying on a smoky station platform. Those images showed subway staff shepherding panicked passengers, some still clutching their morning coffee cups, off the platform and into the cars of a stationary train. The NYPD has urged people to stay clear of the area, urging witnesses to contact a tip line with any information. Outside the station, in an area known for its thriving Chinatown and views of the Statue of Liberty, authorities shut down a dozen or so blocks and closed off the immediate area with yellow crime scene tape. Students and staff at all schools in the neighbourhood were directed to shelter in place. City transit investigators found containers with gasoline and additional unused smoke canisters on the train carriage and the shooter’s firearm jammed, preventing further deaths, television station NBC 4 New York reported, citing city transit sources. However, officials told WABC-TV that there were no working cameras at the 36th Street station, likely complicating any investigation. The NYPD and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s subways and buses, said they had no information about cameras not working. The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident and was in communication with New York officials.