NYPD Have Named a ‘Person of Interest’ in the Brooklyn Subway Mass Shooting

New York officials identified a person of interest and released fresh details Tuesday evening in the investigation into the Brooklyn subway shooting that injured at least 29 people. 

The individual is Frank R. James, 62. James rented a U-Haul vehicle in Philadelphia that officials have connected to the shooting, and the vehicle’s keys were found at the scene. Yet officials stopped short of calling James the suspect in the shooting, and the investigation is still underway. 

Police recovered a 9 mm Glock handgun at the scene along with a hatchet, three extended magazines, commercial firecrackers, a quantity of gasoline, and a fuse, officials said. The unnamed suspect, who’s been identified as a heavy-set, dark-skinned male, donned a gas mask, cracked open two smoke grenades inside the closed subway car, and fired 33 rounds that hit 10 people.

In addition to those who were shot, another 13 people were injured in the chaos, some falling over in the panic and some inhaling smoke. 

Yet for all those details, the motives of the attacker remain a mystery. 

“At this time we still do not know the suspect’s motivation,” New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters on Tuesday evening.

James’ location remains unknown. Officials said he wrote social media posts mentioning New York, the homeless, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. As a result, Mayor Adams’ security detail has been increased, officials said. James has addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin, officials said. 

The attack unfolded around 8:24 a.m. inside a Manhattan-bound train traveling on the N line that was approaching the 36th Street station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, a typically busy hub for commuters on weekday mornings.

Officials have posted a $50,000 reward for further information about the incident. 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the rising number of victims.

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