One person was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting at a New York City subway station Monday at the start of the evening rush hour, authorities said.
The gunfire broke out on an elevated train platform in the Bronx at around 4:30 p.m., a time when stations throughout the city are filled with kids coming home from school and many workers are beginning their evening commute.
“We don't believe this was a random shooting,” said Michael Kemper, New York Police Department Chief of Transit. “This incident today occurred as the result of two groups that started fighting while on a train.” The two groups in question were teenagers, according to Kemper.
Police reported that among the victims were two females and four males ranging in age from 14 to 71, and a 34-year-old man was killed. A Fire Department spokesperson described four of the other injuries as serious. No names for the victims have been released.
Authorities stated that the suspect left the scene, and efforts to apprehend them are ongoing.
"To the shooter, you are now NYPD's most wanted, and you have the greatest detectives in the world looking for you. We suggest you turn yourself in because you're not gonna make it," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard.
Witnesses spoke to the Daily News shortly after the incident.
"The train was coming and there were two kids yelling," Efrain Feliciano, 61, told the Daily News. "There were at least six shots."
"I saw sparkles as the bullets hit the wall," Feliciano said. "A woman was holding a child screaming."
Video from television news helicopters showed a subway train stopped at the station and orange evidence cones on the platform, which is three stops north of Yankee Stadium. Trains were still running through the station on an express track, but weren't stopping as police investigated.
Fear of violence on the subway system spiked after a string of incidents in recent years, but overall, crime in New York City has been plummeting since a surge at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of people shot citywide dropped 39% last year compared to 2022. Killings on the subway system also dropped last year, from 10 to 5.
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