Multiple people shot and 13 hospitalized at Brooklyn subway station, FDNY says
Published at | Updated at
Brynn Gingras, Pervaiz Shallwani, Mark Morales, Kristina Sgueglia and Eric Levenson, CNN
(CNN) — Multiple people were shot and 13 people were hospitalized in an incident at a Brooklyn subway station during Tuesday morning rush hour, authorities said.
A preliminary investigation shows a possible smoke device was detonated at the station, according to a senior law enforcement official. The NYPD said that there were no active explosive devices at this time.
The incident began at about 8:30 a.m. when the Fire Department of New York was called to the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood for a report of smoke.
Two sources said that five people were shot. A male suspect possibly wearing a gas mask and orange construction vest fled the scene, police said, citing a preliminary report.
Police told the public to avoid the area of 36th Street and 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, where a large presence of emergency responders gathered.
The shooting comes amid a rise in shootings in New York over the past two years and a particular rise in violence on the subway that has become a focus of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration. There have been 617 crime complaints so far this year on the transit system, a 68% increase from this point last year, NYPD data shows.
The Sunset Park neighborhood is located in the southwest corner of Brooklyn and is home to a Chinatown and Latin American areas. All schools in the nearby Brooklyn area are on a “shelter in,” which a DOE spokesperson explained means no one is allowed to leave the building, and only students are allowed in.
Adams, who has Covid-19, has been briefed on the situation, his spokesperson Fabien Levy said.
“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,” Levy said on Twitter.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subways, says they are also investigating the incident and that D, N and R trains are holding in both directions in Brooklyn.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.