A gunman wearing a gas mask and orange construction vest is on the run in Brooklyn after shooting at least eight people on a packed subway train in Sunset Park during rush hour on Tuesday morning.
Shortly before 8.30am, the gunman – described by witnesses as a 5ft 5 black man, weighing 170lbs, wearing an orange construction vest and gas mask, is believed to have thrown a smoke bomb into a southbound R train at the 25th Street Station in Brooklyn, and started shooting as the doors of the train closed.
Eight people were shot including one who is now in a serious condition but fire department sources say 13 in total were injured; four suffered smoke inhalation and the 13th injured is a pregnant woman.
The terrified passengers were then trapped on the moving train until they it 36th Street. Video shows them spilling out onto the platform as soon as the doors opened, coughing as smoke billowed out from the subway car.
Some passengers carried wounded victims off the train and lay them on the platform to render aid until help came. Others, fearing for their life, ran away in tears.
Multiple smoke bombs were found at the 36th Street station, according to the FDNY, but the NYPD says none are active explosives.
One witness told The New York Post the gunman – who was described as a ‘5ft 5 black man weighing 170lbs’, fired ‘too many rounds to count’. It remains unclear what type of weapon he used.
‘I thought he was an MTA worker at first because I was like, I didn’t like pay too much attention. You know? You’ve got the orange on,’ the witness said.
NYPD units are now scouring the city’s empty subway tunnels looking for the gunman, who is feared to have jumped onto the tracks at 36th Street and fled. An amber alert has been issued across New York City.
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New Yorkers lie on the platform at 36th Street station after falling out of the southbound R train. They were shot on the train by a gunman who unleashed a smoke bomb and then opened fire before fleeing at around 8.30am
A mass shooting and possible explosion have rocked a subway train in New York at rush hour
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Horrifying scene photos and videos show people covered in blood, lying on the stained subway platform after being shot
The chaos unfolded at 8.30am on Tuesday morning near the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Cemil Toseglu, who runs a store opposite the station, told how his terrified 17-year-old daughter was on the train on her way to school when it was attacked.
He told DailyMail.com: ‘My daughter was going to school and was on the same train when it happened. She said there was smoke and she was told to get into the other train.
‘She’s now safe and came to my office before I sent her home. She is okay but is a little surprised. I didn’t think it was that serious but she then told me people were yelling that it was a man with a gun and maybe a bomb.’
An FDNY spokesman told DailyMail.com: ‘Originally, the call came in as smoke in the subway station. Upon arrival, officers found multiple people shot and undetonated devices.
‘Thirteen people are injured. This remains an active scene,’ an FDNY spokesman said.
Shocking video showed blood-covered victims strewn across the ground at the subway station as smoke billowed out of the train.
EMTs rush to the subway station on Tuesday morning after eight people were shot and another five were injured
NYPD ESU teams at the scene on Tuesday after a gunman opened fire on the subway at around 8.30am
Police officers work at the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 12, 2022
FDNY units at the scene on Tuesday morning after a gunman opened fire on a southbound R train that pulled into 36th Street at around 8.30am
Police and emergency responders gather at the site of a reported shooting of multiple people outside of the 36 St subway station on April 12
Police officers work at the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 12, 2022
Police and emergency responders gather at the site of a reported shooting of multiple people outside of the 36 St subway station on April 12, 2022
A police officer works near the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 12, 2022
The scene on 36th Street and Fourth Avenue on Tuesday as police, EMT and fire department teams responded to the shooting
One person was seen lying still on the floor with their hands over their face and their legs raised after the terrifying attack.
Others had lost shoes and had their clothes torn as the New York subway’s speaker system blared out messages to the passengers.
Commuters were screamed at to get on a different train to safety while the wounded were treated by emergency services.
Eric Adams’ spokesman said on Twitter: ‘@NYCMayor continues to be briefed on the situation.
‘While we gather more information, we ask New Yorkers to stay away from this area for their safety and so that first responders can help those in need and investigate.’
NYPD officers and other city workers at the scene of the shooting on Tuesday morning
Law enforcement gathering at the scene of a shooting in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Law enforcement sources say multiple people were shot at a subway station in Brooklyn
As many as multiple people are believed to have been injured during the shooting and possible explosion
New York City Police officials on a roof at the scene of a reported multiple shooting at a New York City Subway station on 36th and 4th Ave in the Brooklyn borough of New York Shooting in Brooklyn subway
A large presence of NYPD Police officers and FDNY firefighters surround a subway entrance near where at least ten people are believed to have been shot after a shooting in a subway station on 4th Avenue in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn on Tuesday
NYC Council Member Sunset Park Alexa Aviles said: ‘We are aware of reports of a shooting at 36th St subway station, and we are in touch with our city partners and NYPD on the scene.’
She added: ‘Please exercise caution and seek alternate travel routes. We will share further details as they become available.’
Senator Kevin Parker said: ‘Terrifying report out of Sunset Park. We have to move New York forward and break this cycle of gun violence. Hoping everyone will be ok.’
Chi Osse, NYC Council Member for Brooklyn, said: ‘Horrifying news to hear this morning. Praying for the safety and recovery for our neighbors in Sunset Park. This madness must end.’
The Office of New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams said: ‘Our office is monitoring the information coming from Sunset Park, and praying for the New Yorkers who have been shot in this horrific act of gun violence.’
New York City Police Department personnel gather at the entrance to a subway stop in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Several people were shot Tuesday morning at the subway station in Brooklyn, New York, law enforcement sources said
New York City Police and Fire Department officials on the scene of a reported multiple shooting at a New York City Subway