New York, Apr 13 (PTI): A 62-year-old man, with previous criminal history, has been arrested by the New York Police Department for carrying out a horrific shooting attack in a subway in Brooklyn, about 30 hours after the attack left 23 people injured, including 10 who were hit when he fired a nine millimeter handgun at least 33 times.
Frank Robert James was “stopped on the street and arrested by members of the New York City Police Department” on Wednesday afternoon, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters at a news conference.
He will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn and if convicted, he will face a sentence of up to life imprisonment.
At the start of the news conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said “My fellow New Yorkers, we got him. We got him.” “Thirty-three shots. But less than 30 hours later, we are able to say ‘we got him,” he said.
Sewell said that NYPD officers, responding to a tip, stopped James at 1:42 PM Wednesday at the corner of St. Mark's place and First Avenue in Manhattan.
James has been taken into custody without incident and transported to an NYPD facility.
“He will be charged with committing yesterday's appalling crime in Brooklyn,” the police commissioner said, adding that hundreds of NYPD detectives worked “doggedly during the last 30 hours to bring this together… We hope this arrest brings some solace to the victims and the people of the city of New York.” James, initially identified as a ‘Person of Interest’ by the New York Police Department in the Brooklyn subway shooting, was later named suspect in the attack that left 23 people injured, including 10 who were hit when he fired a nine millimeter handgun at least 33 times.
James has been charged by complaint in Brooklyn federal court with counts prohibiting terrorist and other violent attacks against mass transportation systems.
NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said that James has a history of nine prior arrests in New York, dating from 1992 to 1998, including possession of burglary tools and criminal sex acts.
He also has three arrests in New Jersey - 1991, 1992 and 2007 for trespass and disorderly conduct.
Essig said the gun used by James during the attack was bought by him in 2011 in Ohio.
“Minutes ago, thankfully NYPD patrol officers from the 9th Precinct responded to St. Mark's and First Avenue where they apprehended him without incident. This case was quickly solved using technology, video canvassing and then getting that information out to the public,” he said.
The NYPD said Wednesday morning that Frank Robert James fired numerous gun shots inside an "N" line subway car at 36th St & 4th Ave subway station causing serious injuries to 10 people on Tuesday at 8:30 AM.
At a news conference on Tuesday evening, Sewell said that “we are truly fortunate” that the shooting “was not significantly worse than it is.” James was traveling on a Manhattan bound N subway train during morning rush hour and opened two canisters that dispensed smoke throughout the subway car.
He then shot “multiple” passengers as the train pulled into the 36th Street Station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Ten people - seven males, three females - were injured by gunfire and an additional 13 were either injured as they rushed to get out of the train station or they suffered smoke inhalation.
None of the injuries appear to be life threatening.
From the subway car in which James travelled, law enforcement authorities recovered his belongings - a nine millimeter semi-automatic handgun, three extended magazines - one still in the weapon, one under a seat and one in a backpack, a hatchet, a liquid believed to be gasoline and a bag containing consumer grade fireworks and a key to a U-haul van.
They also recovered 33 discharged shell casings, 15 bullets, five bullet fragments, and two non-detonated smoke grenades.
Detectives located the U-haul van abandoned in Brooklyn, and authorities said records show that James rented the van in Philadelphia.
The Consulate General of India in New York is monitoring the horrific shooting incident at a subway station in Brooklyn and is in touch with the local authorities.
Consul General Randhir Jaiswal told PTI that the Consulate is monitoring the situation and “we are in touch with authorities.” The Consulate said in a tweet "Deeply disturbed by horrific shooting in Brooklyn today. We are in touch with local authorities. Our prayers and thoughts with those injured." PTI YAS AMS PMS AKJ CPS
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