A man was shot and killed on a subway platform in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday afternoon, and the gunman is still on the loose. Police say the shooter and the victim had been arguing before the suspect pulled a gun and shot him in the chest on the northbound E train platform at the Seventh Avenue-53rd Street station, ABC7 New York reported.
“I want to be clear, this was not a random act,” the NYPD said. “And make no mistake, we will find this person.”
What happened at the 53rd Street subway station?
The shooting happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. Saturday, a busy time in Midtown near Times Square and Central Park. Police said the dispute “spilled onto the train and then back onto the platform,” and they’re still working out whether the shots were fired on the platform or inside the train. The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition and died. Police haven’t released his name.
A bystander described a stampede after the shots, and another witness said she heard about five, Fox News reported. Uptown E trains were rerouted along the F line for hours, and C and D trains skipped Seventh Avenue.
Who is the suspect in the Midtown subway shooting?
Police haven’t named anyone. NYPD Crime Stoppers released surveillance photos of a person in a red hoodie and red pants, a black puffy vest and a black face mask. Police said the shooter left the station and headed north on Seventh Avenue, and some reports say the person boarded a northbound train. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tips can be anonymous.
Is the subway getting more dangerous?
Shootings in the subway are rare compared with the millions of rides each day, but each one gets attention, and for good reason. Riders are packed into tight spaces with no easy way out. Police describing this as a targeted dispute rather than a random attack is some comfort for everyday riders, but it doesn’t change the fact that someone brought a gun onto a crowded platform at lunchtime and used it.
The BeezLoop Take
The NYPD says it will find the shooter, and with clear surveillance photos and a crowded station, it should. The quicker that happens, the better for a city that’s heard a lot about subway safety and wants to believe the system is getting safer.
A personal dispute isn’t a random attack, but it’s still a man killed on a train platform in front of strangers. Riders deserve an arrest, and the victim’s family deserves to know what happened.
The open question: how fast will police make an arrest, and what started the argument that ended with a man dead on the E train platform?
Also on BeezLoop: a woman was fatally stabbed in a random Times Square attack, and a Bronx man was charged after a mother and baby were pushed from a 15th floor.
Sources: ABC7 New York · Fox News · FOX 5 New York · ABC7 New York (video)
