Desperate hunt for subway gunman who shot ten people on packed Brooklyn train

The gunman in Tuesday morning’s subway shooting would have shot more people but the extended magazine in his weapon jammed when the train he was on arrived at the 36th Street station in Brooklyn.

The shooter has not yet been identified and he remains at large, some six hours after opening fire on a busy northbound N train as it approached 36th Street in Sunset Park.

The FBI has now joined the hunt for him and armed police units are patrolling Brooklyn for any clue of his whereabouts.

DailyMail.com obtained an alert that was issued to officers telling them that the suspect may be traveling in a U-Haul with an Arizona license plate.

There is a heightened police presence all over the city, particularly on the subway, and some schools in Brooklyn have been told to shelter in place.

Witnesses have described how he calmly put on a gas mask on the slow-moving train this morning at 8.24am then tossed a smoke grenade down the carriage, causing havoc among commuters, before opening fire.

The terrified commuters rushed to the other end of the train to try to get through to the next car but the door was locked. They were trapped on the train until it reached the next station.

Video shows the moment the doors opened and wounded passengers spilled onto the platform, trailing blood.

DailyMail.com can confirm that a .380 handgun was found inside the station, along with three extended magazines; one was empty, one was full and a third was jammed in the gun.

Another bag was discovered that contained a batch of Falcon Rising fireworks and Seismic Wave firecrackers.  It’s unclear what he intended to do with them.

The gunman then disappeared from 36th St, where no security cameras were in operation.

He may also have jumped onto one of the other trains at the station, or fled into the subway tunnel.

It comes amid a frightening spike in crime across the city, particularly on the subway where crimes are up by more than 60 percent from this time last year.

ABC reports that police have obtained a photograph of the suspect from a bystander’s phone, but that image has not yet been released anywhere.

The wounded and terrified commuters poured out of the subway doors and onto the platform at 36th Street, where they were filmed writhing on the ground in agony.

The gunman remains at large five hours after the shooting.

NYPD units are now scouring the city’s empty subway tunnels to find the suspect and a city alert has been issued. but nearly five hours later, police are yet to release a single image of him.

Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference that she had not yet ruled out terrorism as a motive but that it was not being investigated as an act of terrorism.

She admitted that police still had not yet been able to identify who the gunman was, much less find him.

Police are now going door-to-door in Brooklyn asking store owners and residents in apartment buildings if they have any videos of the scene from around the time of the shooting in an attempt to find the gunman.

‘I am not ruling anything out at this point,’ she said, as she begged New Yorkers to send photos, videos or any pieces of information that they thought may be relevant to police.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who is in quarantine after being diagnosed with COVID-19, said in a video message: ‘We will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized. The NYPD is searching for the suspect. We will find him.’

Governor Kathy Hochul said: ‘This morning ordinary New Yorkers woke up in anticipation of a relatively normal day. They left their homes, went to school, their jobs and to a normal life.

‘That was brutally disrupted by an individual so cold hearted and depraved of heart. This individual is still on the loose – this person is dangerous. This is an active shooter situation right now in the city of New York.’

Mayor Eric Adams, who is in isolation after being diagnosed with COVID-19, released a video message, asking anyone with information, photos or videos of the suspect to come forward.

Schools surrounding the subway station were ordered to shelter in place and an amber alert was issued throughout much of the city.

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.

Yav Montano told CNN that he was on the northbound N train between 59th Street in Brooklyn and 36th Street when a smoke bomb went off inside the carriage moments.

‘It was crazy. I take the N train every morning to get to where I need to work. From 59th Street to 36th Street, the N-train is express, is where all the dramatics happened.

‘I’m in the third part of the express N train. The smoke grenade went off two minutes before we got to 36th street platform. The train was inching towards. It seemed like it was planned.

‘This smoke bomb, and what I thought was fireworks, but I’m hearing it was gunshots. I have no words for what I could see. I was in the car – I was in the front end of the third car. Everything happened at the back end.

‘People started migrating to the front of the car. I don’t know if people know this, it’s one of those old things where they locked the door to stop people traveling between trains.

‘There were people in the other car who saw what was happening and they tried to open it but couldn’t. There was blood on the floor, a lot of blood trailing on the floor.

‘At the time, I didn’t think it was a shooting. It sounded like fireworks.

‘People trampling over each other, trying to get over each other. Thankfully the train moved to the next stop and everyone filed off the train,’ he 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.

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.

Shocking video showed blood-covered victims strewn across the ground at the subway station as smoke billowed out of the train.

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.’

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.’