Brooklyn subway shooting highlights: 'Not being probed as terrorism but…' say police

A gunman in a gas mask and a construction vest set off a smoke canister on a rush-hour subway train in Brooklyn and shot at least 10 people Tuesday, authorities said. Police were scouring the city for the shooter and found a rental truck possibly connected to the violence.

The incident isn’t being investigated as an act of terrorism but the police department isn’t ruling it out. A motive isn’t yet known and five people remain in critical condition. There are no known explosive devices on the subway, and children at five nearby schools remain sheltered in place until dismissal, which will be managed with extra support from the police department.

Police have launched a massive manhunt for the shooter, but said the incident in Brooklyn was not being investigated as an act of terrorism and that none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

The city fire department said six other people were wounded as panicked passengers fled the smoke-filled train, which pulled up to the platform moments after the shooting.

Governor Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday that the accused is still on the loose.

The New York City Fire Department said that of the total injured, 10 were hit by gunfire.

"The accused filled the train with smoke and opened fire on the passengers. He was reportedly a Black male, 5'5" tall, with a heavy build. Wearing a green construction-type vest and a grey hooded sweatshirt," Keechant Sewell, the New York City Police Commissioner, told reporters on Tuesday.

NYPD commissioner said on Tuesday that the shootout in Brooklyn is not being probed as a terrorism act, adding there are no life threatning injuries. 

The Consulate General of India in New York said on Tuesday that he is monitoring the situation in Brooklyn, adding the consulate is in touch with authorities, news agency PTI reported. 

Rideshare fares spiked on Tuesday morning after New York City emergency alerts advised people to avoid the area after the shooting in Brooklyn Subway. 

Back in 2017, a Bangladeshi immigrant Akayed Ullah had detonated a pipe bomb in the subway tunnel between Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Schools in the area of the Brooklyn subway shooting are sheltering in, the US' Education Department said. All schools in the nearby Brooklyn area are on a 'shelter in' order, which means no one is allowed to leave the building, and only students are allowed in, a Department of Education spokesperson explained.

News agency AFP reported on Tuesday that shootings in New York City have gone up this year, and the uptick in gun crime has been a central focus for Mayor Eric Adams. In 2021, through April 3, shooting incidents rose to 296 from 260 during the same period, police statistics showed. 

The NYPD said on Tuesday that they were searching for a black man with an orange construction vest and a gas mask who is about 5 feet, 8 inches and weighs about 79-81 kilograms. 

Sam Carcamo, an eyewitness at the subway station, told the Associated Press on Tuesday “My subway door opened into calamity. It was smoke and blood and people screaming."

NYPD and senior law enforcement officials said on Tuesday that a man in a gas mask and an orange construction vest may have tossed a smoke canister on the platform to distract the crowd. 

The White House said on Tuesday that President Joe Biden has been briefed over the shooting incident in Brooklyn and he is in touch with New York officials. 

The NYPD said on Tuesday that no active explosive devices have been found in the shootout at this time. 

Merrick Garland, the United States attorney general has received preliminary briefing regarding the shootout and is monitoring the situation in Brooklyn.