Several people have been shot during rush hour in Brooklyn, according to the New York Police Department. Suspicious devices were also reportedly found.
At least 10 people were shot at the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park during rush hour in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning, local media and law enforcement sources have reported. A total of 16 were reported injured. One of the victims was found at 25th Street, the next station on the line, according to WABC.
At least four suspicious devices were also reportedly found at the 36th Street station.
“There are currently no known explosive devices on our subway trains, and this is not being investigated as an act of terrorism at this time,” New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Describing the event as a “violent incident,” Sewell said that none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.
Acting Fire Department commissioner Laura Kavanagh said a total of 16 people have been injured, 10 of whom had gunshot wounds, and that five people were in critical condition.
The suspect is reportedly a black male, approximately 5’5” in height and weighing between 175 and 180 pounds. He was dressed in an orange construction vest and wore a gas mask. Reports indicate that he threw a “device” and began shooting with a .380 caliber handgun in the Sunset Park station. Another report referred to two shooters. No arrests have yet been made.
First responders are on the scene and power to the subway lines that run through 36th Street has been shut down while police hunt for suspects.
Witnesses on board the train during the shooting described people “pounding and looking behind them, running, trying to get on the train,” while the doors between cars were locked and at least one car filled with smoke. “The entire train station was filled with smoke,” one witness told Gothamist, adding that “there was blood everywhere. Everybody’s just running out because they thought they were next.”
Despite initial media claims to the contrary, NYPD commissioner Keechant Sewell said the incident is not being investigated as an act of terrorism. However, she said, no motive has been established, and they are “not ruling anything out.” She has urged the public to come forward with any information they may have.