NEW YORK — It has been more than 24 hours since the subway mass shooting in Sunset Park, Brooklyn turned a morning commute into chaos, and police are still looking for the man responsible.
Mayor Eric Adams says they are now calling Frank James a suspect, instead of just a person of interest, and police released new pictures of him.
Police sources tell CBS2 the suspect unloaded 33 rounds from a gun that he bought from a pawn shop in Ohio more than 10 years ago.
As police stood guard at the 36th Street subway station Wednesday morning, one commuter blessed herself with the sign of the cross before getting on the subway.
The station was the scene of sheer horror the morning before, as riders were seen running for their lives through smoke and away from gunfire.
Police say 62-year-old Frank James attacked straphangers in the tunnel between the 59th Street and 36th Street stations, shooting 10 people and injuring 13 more when it’s assumed he set off smoke bombs, while wearing a gas mask.
Fortunately, every single victim is expected to be OK, and many have already been released from the hospital.
“We don’t know his motivation to make a classification if this was a terrorist act or not,” Adams said Wednesday. “But even without that designation, we know that he wanted to bring terror.”
The mayor is still in isolation after being diagnosed with COVID, but he spoke virtually Wednesday to a number of media outlets about the investigation.
Detectives believe James entered the subway at the Kings Highway station — no one in the area seemingly aware of what he would do next.
“There’s no evidence that indicate at this time that there was an accomplice,” said Adams.
The mayor said new information became available that upgraded James from a person of interest to a suspect. The city issued alerts Wednesday on cellphones.
“I’m sure more than one person identified him as the person in the subway,” retired NYPD Lt. Donald Drogin told CBS2, saying that means police are one step closer to catching James. “That’s the guy 100% they’re focusing on. When you’re a person of interest, they just wanted to talk to him and maybe he might have had a good alibi.”
Police say James left behind a bag with a hatchet, two gas canisters and a single automatic handgun that apparently jammed, perhaps saving lives. He is also connected to some concerning social media posts and uploaded videos to YouTube in March when he spoke about crimes in city subways.
“Those who are going to commit crimes, like the shooting [expletive] got shot in the chest out in Brooklyn, the old lady got hit in the head with a hammer? You can’t to stop that. That means you have to have a policeman at every station, and that’s just not possible,” he can be heard saying.
Commuter Paul Simeon saw the moments after the chaos, speculating how James got away.
“He probably ditched what he was wearing, and being all the people trying to escape, he probably got on one of the trains,” said Simeon.
Many now hope James is quickly caught.
“If you’re that crazy, they’re going to get you,” Simeon added.
There’s now a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest. Not only is the NYPD asking for tips, but the FBI is too.
Anyone with any information about the attack is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
CLICK HERE to submit a tip to the FBI.
See live updates below for the latest.