Sunset Park community members rally for Day of Unity after subway shooting
SUNSET PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Community members in Sunset Park are showing a united front four days after that mass shooting at the 36th Street subway station.
The neighborhood held a day of unity event Saturday afternoon to bring people together after that violent attack that left 29 people injured.
Several lawmakers joined community leaders as they stood in solidarity.
"What happened a few days ago is not only unacceptable, but it has ripple effects," said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
Community leaders, business owners and neighbors came out to support one another.
"We're coming out of a pandemic where we haven't been able to be together and we haven't even been able to collectively grieve, City Council Member Alexa Avilés said. "And this horrific shooting is an additional trauma to our community."
The event started at 4:00 p.m. at the intersection of 44th Street and 6th Avenue.
Information below is from a previous report on the subway shooting
A "mumbling" lone gunman in a reflective vest and a gas mask threw smoke bombs into a subway car and then began shooting at the height of Tuesday's morning rush.
Shell casings were recovered on the train and on the platform along with a handgun that had three extended round magazines. Authorities said a magazine jammed in the gun, which possibly saved lives.
Tuesday evening, 62-year-old Frank R. James was named as a person of interest in the investigation. Officials later named James as a suspect.
ALSO READ | Frank R. James: What we know about Brooklyn subway shooting suspect
While the cameras in the station were inoperable, law enforcement officials were able to get an image of the suspect from a bystander's cell phone video.
Also recovered at the scene was a hatchet, gasoline, four smoke grenades (two detonated and two undetonated), and a bag of consumer-grade fireworks, as well as a credit card authorities say, was used to rent a U-Haul. They say the gun was not stolen.
After passengers spilled onto the platform, everyone who was not wounded was told to get back on the train, which then continued to the 25th Street station in Greenwood Heights.
ALSO READ | Witnesses describe chaotic scene after NYC subway shootings
"This perpetrator dropped those smoke cans, if that's what they are, and shot around, and then exited from that point," retired NYC Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said during a press conference on Tuesday. "He's not going to stay on there if there's smoke on there, even if he has the filter mask."
Mayor Adams, who was under quarantine due to a COVID diagnosis, released a video statement on his various social media accounts.
"We're praying for all New Yorkers who were injured or affected by today's attack," he said. "So far, we know that we have a multiple number of injuries, including victims of gunshot wounds...We will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized even by a single individual. The NYPD is searching for the suspect at large, and we will find him."
Officials confirmed that 10 of the victims, who range in age from 17 to 50, were shot, and five were listed in critical but stable condition. Several of the victims were already released from the hospital.
Governor Kathy Hochul called the suspect "cold-hearted and depraved" and warned that he remained on the loose and dangerous Tuesday.
"We say no more," she said. "No more mass shootings. No more disrupting lives. No more creating heartbreak for people just trying to live their lives as normal New Yorkers. It has to end and it ends now...Everyone involved in this has one purpose, and it is to stop the insanity of these crimes."
James was spotted wandering the streets of Manhattan and several people called in to report his whereabouts. Police eventually caught up to James and arrested him in the East Village Wednesday afternoon.
Several people who called in to Crimestoppers will split the $50,000 reward offered for catching James.
This latest incident comes as New York City has faced a spate of shootings and high-profile incidents in recent months, including on the city's subways. One of the most shocking was in January when a woman was pushed to her death in front of a train by a stranger.
"This morning, Sunset Park commuters were assaulted by a senseless act of violence," Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said on Tuesday. "As always in a time of crisis, Brooklynites experienced the swift reaction of our city's first responders, including the MTA, NYPD, and FDNY. I am deeply heartened to see the Sunset Park community coming together during this time of tragedy - Brooklyn stands with you. I will continue to work with local authorities and elected officials as more details of the attack are confirmed and the perpetrator is found."
Adams has made cracking down on crime, especially on the subways, a focus of his early administration, pledging to send more police officers into stations and platforms for regular patrols.
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