New York police arrested Wednesday, April 13, a man suspected of being the shooter who caused chaos the day before in the subway and injured at least twenty-three people, including ten by bullets. According to official sources, relayed by the Associated Press (AP), the man was arrested in Manhattan and placed in police custody. He will be tried for “terrorist attack”, announced the attorney for the eastern district of New York, Breon Peace. The suspect “will appear in federal court in Brooklyn and, if convicted, will face a life sentence”he added.
As millions of workers resumed commuting to work, the city’s mayor, Eric Adams, called on residents earlier today to be “vigilant”while excluding at this stage that the shooter has an accomplice. “He seems to have acted alone”had declared on the MSNBC channel the Democratic mayor, who took office on 1er January with the promise to strengthen the fight against crime in the megalopolis.
A man, simply presented Tuesday by the police as a “person of interest” for the investigation, was then qualified on Wednesday as ” suspicious “ by the mayor of New York. On Tuesday, investigators released photos of the man, saying he rented the pickup truck found in Brooklyn and found a key where the shooting took place.
’62-year-old black man’ suspected
On Wednesday morning, New Yorkers received messages on their phones giving the description of this “62-year-old black man”, asking to alert the police to give any information useful to the investigation. The man has posted various videos on YouTube, where he delivers long, sometimes virulent political tirades and criticizes Mr. Adams, pushing the police to increase security around the mayor.
While the hunt was still ongoing Wednesday morning, millions of New Yorkers had resumed commuting to work on Wednesday, some posting selfies on social media to show that life was getting back to normal. “I don’t really have a choice, I have to take the metro. I hope it will be safer today. It looked a little emptier”explained a passenger, who lives in the neighboring state of New Jersey.
The NYC Subway Twitter accountone of the largest networks in the world, announced early Wednesday morning the return of a “full service” on all lines, especially at station 36th Street in southern Brooklyn, where the shooter raged and where several lines pass.
The number of homicides on the rise since the pandemic
Tuesday morning, around 8:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. French time), at a time when the metro trains are crowded, the individual, who was wearing a gas mask, lit two devices which smoked the car, then shot the passengers as the train entered the station. “We were really lucky that it wasn’t much more serious”underlined the chief of the police of New York, Keechant Sewell, summarizing the relief of the authorities after this attack where the suspect fired 33 bullets.
“All you see is black smoke, and I turned to the right, and I saw this guy with a mask”one of the victims testified on CNN from his hospital bed. “The shooting lasted about a minute, I would say about ten shots (…). I’ve never heard so many shots come out of a handgun (…). He probably had extended magazines or another firearm.”, added this man, shot in the knee. At the scene, investigators found a handgun and three magazines.
“I just focused on trying to get out as safely as I could.” CNN talks to passenger Yav Montano who was in the train… https://t.co/1Encjw3WRw
Tuesday’s attack came as New York has faced a spike in crime since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number of homicides rising from 319 in 2019 to 488 in 2021, although the annual toll remains well below the more than 2,000 per year recorded in the early 1990s.