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A man has been left critically injured after he was shot multiple times with his own firearm on a moving subway train in New York City after he allegedly got into a fight with another passenger.
During the busy evening rush hour, the train was arriving at Hoyt Schermerhorn station in downtown Brooklyn on Thursday around 4.45 when officers nearby heard shots being fired.
The New York Police Department say a 32-year-old man is with detectives, while a 36-year-old man has been taken to a local hospital, where he is in critical condition and undergoing surgery. Police have not released the identities of either man.
However, the police added that the 36-year-old victim was also acting “aggressive” in this altercation, as he was the one who displayed both a firearm and a razor blade or knife while on the moving train.
Michael Kemper, the New York Police Department’s chief of transit, said at a news conference after the incident that the 32-year-old man got onto a northbound A train on the subway in the afternoon; the 36-year-old man was already on the train.
The 36-year-old allegedly approached the other man, with witnesses describing him as “aggressive and provocative,” Mr Kemper said.
Police say that this is the firearm they took from the scene
(New York Police Department)
Words were initially exchanged, but their argument escalated into a physical altercation multiple times.
At one point, the 36-year-old displayed a knife or a razor blade toward the 32-year-old man, but he put it down while words were still being exchanged, and the fight again got physical.
The 36-year-old man then got out a firearm from his jacket, and walked towards the other man “in a menacing way,” all the while yelling at him.
“During this physical confrontation, that gun, we believe, was removed from the 36-year-old by the 32-year-old, and the 32-year-old fired multiple shots, striking the 36-year-old,” Mr Kemper said.
As all of this was unfolding, the moving train pulled into the station, where multiple officers happened to be feet away.
The officers were on scene within seconds, giving medical assistance, calling an ambulance and rounding up witnesses.
The 36-year-old man who was shot has been taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
Some witnesses who were in the carriage as the terrifying fight was transpiring managed to capture video footage of the incident.
One video captures a woman screaming, “Let me out!” in a packed train carriage, before the sound of shots being fired rattled through the station as the train doors open.
Passengers can be seen sprinting off the train, some of whom are screaming, and into the station as the shots ring out.
A journalist from ABC News was also at the scene during the frightening situation. She posted on her X account footage of passengers all huddled together, crouched on the floor as the train remained stationary on the platform.
Officers can be seen patrolling up and down the platform, as the passengers who appear to be visibly terrified, duck down and look to the ground.
Other footage has captured the two men in a physical scuffle on the train.
Charges are yet to be determined and the investigation is ongoing.
