At least 16 people were shot or otherwise injured after a lone gunman in a reflective vest and a gas mask threw smoke bombs on a subway car in Brooklyn and began shooting Tuesday morning.
via: People
The violence began at 8:24 a.m., when a Manhattan-bound N train was waiting to enter the station at 36th Street and 4th Avenue, in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a Tuesday press conference.
According to Sewell, the suspect donned a gas mask, then took out a canister of smoke and threw it to the ground, causing the car to begin to fill with smoke. Then, he opened fire.
According to Sewell, none of the injuries are considered life-threatening. The shooting is not being investigated as an act of terrorism at the moment, Sewell said, but the investigation remains ongoing.
The suspect is still at large. He was described as a Black man, standing about 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a heavyset build. He was wearing a green “construction-type” vest and a gray hooded sweatshirt at the time of the shooting, said Sewell.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said of the shooter, “This person is still on the loose. This person is dangerous.”
An NYPD source tells PEOPLE authorities are searching the subway tunnels for the suspect.
In a videotaped statement, New York City mayor Eric Adams, who is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, said, “We will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual. NYPD is searching for the suspect at large, and we will find him. But we ask the public to come forward with any information that may help us in this investigation.”
The victims who didn’t suffer gunshot wounds had injuries including smoke inhalation, shrapnel and panic from the incident, an FDNY spokesperson said at the press conference.
Despite earlier reports that there were several undetonated devices found at the station, authorities said no explosive devices have been found.
My statement on this morning's shooting in Brooklyn: pic.twitter.com/TbLfCZa7WW
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 12, 2022
