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 23 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 vehicles’ keys were found at the incident. Yet officials were careful to stop short of calling James the suspect in the shooting, and the investigation is still underway. 

Police recovered a 9mm 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 has been identified as a heavy-set, dark-skinned male, fired 33 rounds that hit 10 people after donning a gas mask and cracking open two smoke grenades inside the closed subway car. 

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

Did you witness the mass shooting in Brooklyn? Contact the reporter at greg.walters@vice.com.

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, a typically busy hub for commuters on weekday mornings.

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

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