Brooklyn subway shooting: Argument ends with one man in critical condition
An argument on a Brooklyn subway train Thursday ended with one man in custody and another hospitalized in critical condition with a gunshot wound. Credit: AP/Mark Lennihan
An argument between two men on a Brooklyn subway train Thursday afternoon ended with one in critical condition with a gunshot wound and the other in police custody, the NYPD said.
The shooting took place about 4:55 p.m. aboard an A train bound for Manhattan, said NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper.
It comes just over a week after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she was sending the National Guard into the city subway system following a series of high-profile crimes on trains.
Kemper said the latest shooting occurred after a train stopped at the Nostrand Avenue station in Brooklyn. A 32-year-old man boarded. When the doors to the car closed, a 36-year-old man approached him and an argument ensued, Kemper said.
The older man then showed a knife or a razor blade before putting it down. Moments later, he pulled out a firearm, the fight escalated, and at some point, the younger man grabbed the gun and shot him, Kemp Kemper said.
The shooting victim was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery Thursday night and remained in critical condition, Kemper said. Police took the other man into custody. Neither man's identity was immediately released, and police did not say whether the shooting suspect had been charged.
A semiautomatic gun was recovered, according to Kemper, adding that the men likely didn't know each other. There were well over a dozen passengers in the car, officials said.
Subway violence spurred Hochul on March 6 to announce the deployment of 750 members of the National Guard to assist the NYPD with bag checks at entrances to busy train stations.
Overall, crime has dropped in New York City since a spike during the COVID-19 pandemic, and killings are down on the subway system. But rare fatal shootings and shovings on the subway have residents on edge. In February, a passenger slashed a subway conductor in the neck.
At a press briefing on Thursday's shooting, MTA chairman Janno Lieber said, “When you … bring a gun on the train and you start a fight, it is not right. It is absolutely outrageous.
“Get rid of the guns,” Lieber said.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
