By Silas Gwathmey

A tragedy unfolded in Brooklyn on the New York City subways on Tuesday, April 12, when a 62-year-old man opened fire with a Glock 9 millimeter, injuring 29 people in total. Five of the victims were in critical condition immediately after the shooting.

Photo credit: Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images.

The gunman, Frank R. James, was reported to have rented a U-Haul van which he packed with equipment. James was well known by authorities for dozens of petty crimes and charges of arson, going from coast to coast. Friends and family of James have come forward now and even before this incident, saying he has threatened them verbally, but he had never acted upon any of the threats. He had the pistol, three magazines of ammunition, a hatchet, fireworks, and a container filled with a liquid officials believed to be gasoline. He managed to purchase these firearms with not having been charged with a felony prior to this incident. 

Some of James’ supplies. Photo credit: abc7ny.

Later that afternoon authorities found the van abandoned about five blocks away from the King’s Highway subway station. The gunman remained at large until James called Crimestoppers and gave them a lead, which led to his own arrest. He told officials he saw his face on the news and knew that he was wanted. James then told the police his whereabouts, which happened to be a McDonald’s on the southeast side of Manhattan. James specifically stated he would be inside charging his phone and waiting, though he would not give up his phone number. 

Soon following James’ phone call, another civilian called 911 claiming they saw him at the McDonald’s as well. To the authorities’ surprise, when they arrived at McDonald’s, he was not there. James had been flagged down the block by another bystander before being apprehended by police. He is being charged in federal court for breaking a law for preventing terrorist attacks and acts of extreme violence. He recently plead not guilty to the charges. His court case will begin soon; the punishment for his charges if convicted is life in prison.

James has posted dozens of videos on his personal youtube account where he rants about recent events in the news. He claims that Black women are the cause of the recent spike in violence. In addition, he states that the Russia/Ukraine war is an example of how whites are seeking genocide of other races in today’s world. 

This is the worst shooting in New York in many years, according to The New York Times, with 10 victims with shooting injuries, and the rest with injuries such as smoke inhalation and panic attacks. This event hit the city hard due to its recent spike in shooting-related crimes.

Featured image credit: Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Commons.