© KEYSTONE/EPA/JUSTIN LANE
A gunman wearing a gas mask set off a smoke device in the New York subway on Tuesday morning before opening fire on passengers. There were 16 injured including 10 by gunshot, announced the police, who are actively looking for this suspect.
The attack occurred at 8:24 a.m. (local time), when the subway trains in the American megacity are crowded, on one of the lines connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, explained the chief of the new police. Yorker (NYPD), Keechant Sewell.
“As the train pulled into the station, the individual put on a gas mask. He then opened a canister that was in his bag and the (metro) car filled with smoke. After that he started to shoot”, described the police chief who ruled out at this stage “an act of terrorism”.
According to firefighters, 10 of the 16 injured people were hit by bullets, but none were in mortal danger at midday, Keechant Sewell said.
Strong build
In front of the press gathered above the Brooklyn subway station, she described the suspect as “a black man” measuring regarding “1m65” and “heavy build”, wearing a “green construction vest” and a sweatshirt. gray hooded shirt.
“This person is dangerous,” warned New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, calling on the population to be very careful.
Amateur photos and videos showed pools of blood and people lying on the floor of a subway train, as well as on the platform of the “36th Street” station in the borough of Brooklyn.
Another video shows crowds exiting a smoky subway car at the 36th street station, amid shouts but no jostling.
“Planned”
According to one of the passengers, Yav Montano, who spoke on CNN, “a smoke grenade…a bomb went off I would say two minutes before we got to the station.”
“It looked like it was planned (…). We were stuck in the car (…), there was blood on the ground. There was a lot of blood on the ground, “added this male.
A spokesman for the fire department told AFP that “untriggered explosive devices” had been found on the spot, but no “operable explosive device” according to the police.
An important security device was deployed at 36th Street and 4th Avenue, in the south of Brooklyn, very close to the large cemetery of Greenwood. Ambulances, fire engines and police arrived in large numbers on the spot.
Several schools in Brooklyn have immediately canceled all outings of their students.
Biden informed
President Joe Biden, who announced new anti-gun measures on Monday, has been notified of the shooting and the White House has offered assistance to New York authorities, executive spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
The attack came as New York City has faced a spike in crime since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Elected on security promises, the new Democratic mayor of New York, former police officer Eric Adams, launched a plan to combat the proliferation of firearms at the end of January, following the death of two police officers shot dead during a an intervention. But other dramas involving guns have made headlines since.
Upsurge
“We’re tired of reading the headlines regarding crime, whether it’s shootings or the loss of a teenage girl or a 13-year-old. This needs to stop,” the governor said. , referring to several recent victims – including children – of shootings or stray bullets.
Mayor Eric Adams, who contracted Covid-19 a few days ago, was unable to attend.
For the first quarter of 2022 – from January 1 to early April – the number of shootings and shootings in New York increased by 260 to 296 compared to the same period of 2021, according to police figures released last week .
