A 36-year-old man was in critical condition Thursday evening after he was shot in the head on a crowded subway train as it approached a Brooklyn, N.Y. station following a heated altercation, police said at a news conference.
The shooting took place after a 32-year-old man boarded a train at the Nostrand Avenue station at about 4:45 p.m., according to Michael Kemper, New York City Police Department’s chief of transit.
When he got on board, he was approached by a 36-year-old man, who, Kemper said, “was described by multiple witnesses as being aggressive and provocative towards the 32-year-old that just got on.”
Kemper said the two men had a verbal altercation before it quickly became physical. The older man displayed “either a knife or a razor blade toward” the younger man who had just boarded and then put the object down.
The verbal exchange continued before the 36-year-old man “removed a firearm from his jacket” and started walking toward the younger man “in a menacing way,” Kemper said, and the altercation became physical again.
At that point, police believe the younger man “removed” the gun from the 36-year-old and fired multiple shots at him, as the train was pulling into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station.
Kemper said he did not think the two men knew each other. He also said there were one or two dozen passengers on the train at the time, and several filmed videos of the incident.
Kemper said there were police at the station who heard the gunshots and were able to respond quickly. The 36-year-old was transported to a hospital and was in critical condition and undergoing surgery at the time of the news conference on Thursday.
Kemper said it was still “to be determined” whether charges will be brought against the 32-year-old or whether his alleged actions will be deemed self-defense. At the time of the news conference, police were interviewing the alleged shooter, who was apprehended on scene.
