A man shot another man on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Thursday morning before fleeing into a nearby subway station, the police said, forcing passengers to take shelter on the floors of subway cars and leading to delays across the subway system.
The shooting happened shortly after 9 a.m. on 68th Street and Columbus Avenue, police officials said. The victim, who is 47, was struck in the leg and shoulder and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was in stable condition.
It was not immediately clear whether the two men knew each other or what the gunman’s motive was. The police said they did not have anyone in custody and that the shooting was still under investigation.
The shooting was a manifestation of some of New Yorkers’ fears and frustrations about safety on the city’s subterranean transit system. As the police searched for the gunman, riders throughout the trains were told to get down and shelter in place without being fully aware of what was happening around them. Some New Yorkers reported being stuck on trains for more than an hour.
C train service was suspended in both directions after the shooting, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, before resuming with delays, and there were other delays reported throughout the system.
A New York Times reporter was on a southbound C train that was stopped between 81st and 72nd Streets. The train’s conductor told riders to get on the ground and keep their heads down.
The conductor announced at around 9:50 a.m. that there was a police investigation at the 72nd Street station, which serves the B and C train lines. Within minutes, two officers boarded the first car of the train as they searched for the gunman.
As the passengers laid on the floor, police officers walked through the tracks outside, at times flashing their lights into the car. At one point, the conductor tried to reassure the riders, telling them that the gunman was not near their train car.
At around 10:10 a.m., the police — in special operations gear — began evacuating the C train, as well as other nearby trains, and leading riders through the tracks. The passengers, several of whom were distraught and crying, were then led onto the platform at the 72nd Street station and taken above ground.
Police and Fire Department officials taped off the station after the passengers had been evacuated.
Crime rates in New York City, including throughout the transit system, rose during the coronavirus pandemic, beginning in 2020, but declined last year. Still, subway safety has been a top concern for riders.
In February, New York City Transit workers stopped performing their duties during the morning commute after a slashing attack on an A train left a conductor injured. One week later, Gov. Kathy Hochul sent hundreds of state troopers and National Guard members into the city’s subways to patrol the system and check bags.
The post Man Shoots Another Man Before Fleeing Into Manhattan Subway Station appeared first on New York Times.
