Manhunt after 10 shot in Brooklyn subway attack

BROOKLYN, United States — A massive manhunt was underway Tuesday in New York for a man who shot 10 people on a packed subway train, donning a gas mask before setting off 2 smoke bombs and opening fire on terrified commuters.

Police said the incident in Brooklyn was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, with no indication of a motive at this stage. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

New York Police Department commissioner Keechant Sewell told a press conference the suspected gunman put on a gas mask just as the train was arriving at the station. 

The gunman "opened 2 canisters that dispensed smoke throughout the subway car," Sewell said. "He then shot multiple passengers as the train pulled into the 36th Street station." 

In addition to the 10 gunshot victims, 13 others were injured as they tried to get out of the station or suffered smoke inhalation, according to officials.

"We are truly fortunate this was not significantly worse than it is," Sewell said.

NYPD chief James Essig said the gunman had fired 33 shots. Police later recovered a Glock 17 nine-millimeter handgun, 3 additional ammunition magazines and a hatchet from the scene.

Sewell said they had identified a "person of interest" and described him as a "dark-skinned male" wearing a neon orange vest and a gray hooded sweatshirt.

They did not have anyone in custody, she added.

Police were alerted to the shooting just before 8:30 a.m.

Verified video footage posted on social media showed the train pulling into the 36th Street station, and smoke billowing out the doors as passengers rushed off, some apparently injured.

One of them, Yav Montano, recounted on CNN being inside the car when it began filling with smoke -- and shots rang out.

"In the moment, I did not think that it was a shooting because it sounded like fireworks," he said. "It just sounded like a bunch of scattered popping."

There were 40 to 50 passengers inside at the time and they began crowding towards the front, Montano said -- but the door to the next car was locked. 

"There were people in that other car that saw what was happening. And they tried to open the door, but they couldn't," he said. 

'A LOT OF BLOOD'

CNN aired a brief video shot by Montano inside the car showing passengers crowded together, some wearing masks and others pressing clothing against their mouths to protect against the smoke.

"There were some people whose clothes, whose pants were covered in blood," Montano said, adding that he could not tell who was injured. "All I know is I saw, like, a lot of blood."

Once the train finally reached the platform, the doors opened.

"People filed out, people forgot bags and shoes, and they just left everything to just get out of there as soon as possible," Montano said.

Further footage showed passengers tending to bloodied victims lying on a smoky station platform, and subway staff shepherding panicked commuters, some still clutching their morning coffee cups.

Eyewitness Sam Carmano, speaking to local radio station 1010 WINS, was on a subway train pulling in on the opposite side of the platform when the mayhem erupted.

"My subway door opened into just like calamity and then it was people, just running to get away from whatever was happening, and then it was smoke and blood and people screaming," he said.

CALL FOR WITNESSES

President Joe Biden, addressing the incident during a trip to Iowa, paid tribute to the first responders and civilians who "didn't hesitate to help their fellow passengers," and said his team was in close contact with New York officials.

"We're not letting up until we find the perpetrator," Biden vowed.

The NYPD has urged witnesses to contact a tip line with any information, and New York governor Kathy Hochul promised regular updates as the investigation unfolds. 

Mass casualty shootings happen with relative frequency in the United States, where firearms are involved in approximately 40,000 deaths a year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

Shootings in New York City have risen this year, and the uptick in violent gun crime has been a central focus for Mayor Eric Adams since he took office in January. Through April 3, shooting incidents rose to 296 from 260 during the same period last year, according to police statistics.

The incident came just a day after Biden announced new gun control measures, increasing restrictions on so-called "ghost guns," the difficult-to-trace weapons that can be assembled at home.

Lax gun laws and a constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms have repeatedly stymied attempts to clamp down on the number of weapons in circulation, despite a majority of Americans backing greater controls.

Three-quarters of all homicides in the United States are committed with guns, and the number of pistols, revolvers and other firearms sold continues to rise.

Agence France-Presse 

At least six dead in California shooting

SAN FRANCISCO — Six people were killed and 12 others injured, some critically, in a shooting early Sunday morning in California's state capital of Sacramento.

The city's police chief, Kathy Lester, told reporters that around 2:00 am, "a large fight took place" in the downtown area just before "multiple shooters" opened fire.

Officers on patrol nearby heard the gunshots and saw people running, she said.

Upon arriving at the scene, "they encountered a large crowd and multiple gunshot victims."

Despite attempts at resuscitation, 6 victims were pronounced dead at the scene, 3 men and 3 women -- all adults.

Twelve others were hit by gunfire and are being treated in local hospitals, Lester said.

At a press conference Sunday morning, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg described some of the hospitalized as "seriously and critically injured."

He also called on anyone with information to contact authorities or submit evidence via a scannable QR code.

Lester said that a "stolen handgun" had been recovered at the scene, and that investigators had already received multiple videos and tips from members of the public.

A video posted online Sunday appeared to show people scuffling in the street, then starting to run as gunfire can be heard. AFP could not verify the footage, and it was not known if there was a direct relation, but local police said they were aware of the video.

"It was just horrific," said community activist Berry Accius, who arrived minutes after the shooting.

"Just as soon as I walked up you saw a chaotic scene, police all over the place, victims with blood all over their bodies, folks screaming, folks crying, people going, 'Where is my brother?' Mothers crying and trying to identify who their child was," he told local broadcaster KXTV.

The shooting happened in the downtown area, just blocks from the state capitol and close to the venue where the NBA's Sacramento Kings play.

The San Francisco Chronicle quoted a woman at the scene as saying she had been told that her husband of 12 years was among the dead.

The woman, whom the paper did not name, said a stranger had answered her husband's telephone when their daughter called, but that she had been unable to find out what had happened, despite being on police lines for several hours.

"It sounds like a lot of innocent people lost their lives tonight," the Chronicle quoted the woman saying.

"We haven't gotten an answer."

'DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND' 

Mayor Steinberg said it was difficult to find the right words to describe the tragedy.

"The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend," he said, adding that he was waiting for more information about the incident. 

"Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it," he said.

The mass casualty shooting is the latest in the United States, where firearms are involved in approximately 40,000 deaths a year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a post on Twitter, said "We cannot continue to let gun violence be the new normal," and described gun violence as a "crisis" for the United States.

Lax gun laws and a constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms have repeatedly stymied attempts to clamp down on the number of weapons in circulation, despite greater controls being favored by the majority of Americans.

Three-quarters of all homicides in the US are committed with guns, and the number of pistols, revolvers and other firearms sold continues to rise.

More than 23 million guns were sold in 2020 -- a record -- on top of 20 million in 2021, according to data compiled by website Small Arms Analytics.

That number does not include "ghost" guns, which are sold disassembled, lack serial numbers, and are highly prized in criminal circles.

In June 2021, 30 percent of American adults said they owned at least one gun, according to a Pew survey.

Agence France-Presse 

US road tripper’s boyfriend confessed to her killing before shooting self: FBI

The boyfriend of Gabby Petito, a social media influencer whose disappearance and death gripped America last year, confessed to her killing in writing before taking his life, the FBI said Friday.

Brian Laundrie killed himself with a bullet to the head amid suspicion about his possible role in the young woman's death as the two of them took a cross-country road trip, filming themselves along the way and posting the videos online.

His body was found October 20 in a nature reserve in Florida along with some belongings, including a notebook.

"A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death," the FBI said in a statement.

The FBI probe did not identify anyone else involved in the death of Petito, it said.

The 23-year-old Laundrie had disappeared in September, shortly after police described him as a "person of interest" in the investigation into Petito's death.

Petito's family, after talking to the FBI, said they were convinced Laundrie killed their 22-year-old daughter.

"The quality and quantity of the facts and information collected by the FBI leave no doubt that Brian Laundrie murdered Gabby," the family said in a statement released by their lawyers.

The Petito case caused a huge media stir in the United States for weeks. Petito and Laundrie had left New York in July to tour the western United States in a van for four months after Petito quit her job.

For days, they published images on social networks in which they were seen smiling on what appeared to be an idyllic road trip. 

But on September 1, Laundrie returned without his girlfriend to North Port, Florida, where they both lived with his family. 

His attitude raised suspicions about his role in her disappearance, especially after he refused to answer police questions and then fled on September 13. 

Petito's body was found on September 19 in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, and on October 12 police announced she had been strangled to death. 

A video released in September by police in Moab, a small town in Utah, further raised suspicions around Laundrie. In the images, Petito could be seen crying in a car after police intervened in a dispute she had with him. 

Petito's story is all too common in a country where hundreds of thousands of people go missing every year. 

But the non-stop media attention devoted to the case sparked controversy over the disproportionate attention paid to the disappearances of white women compared to those from minority groups.

Agence France-Presse

US pharmacist jailed for 3 years after tampering with COVID-19 vaccines

WASHINGTON - A US pharmacist has been jailed for 3 years after pleading guilty to tampering with hundreds of Moderna coronavirus vaccines, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Steven R. Brandenburg, 46, "purposefully removed" vaccine vials from their refrigerator unit even though they must be stored at a certain temperature until used, court documents said.

The pharmacist was also ordered to pay $83,800 in compensation to the Wisconsin hospital where he worked.

He removed the vials on 2 overnight shifts in December, leaving them outside for hours before returning them to be used on recipients the following day.

A total of 57 people received vaccines with the vials that Brandenburg had tampered with, the Justice Department statement said.

"The purposeful attempt to spoil vaccine doses during a national public health emergency is a serious crime," said Brian Boynton, acting assistant attorney general of the department's Civil Division.

Brandenburg had expressed skeptical views about vaccines and specifically the Moderna vaccine, according to his plea agreement.

Moderna vaccines must be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures.

More than 124 million doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered in the US.

The 2-shot regime is around 90 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 and 95 percent effective against severe disease.

Agence France-Presse

Families gather to remember victims of El Paso shooting

EL PASO, Texas–Families of those killed when a gunman opened fire at an El Paso Walmart are gathering at funerals on each side of the U.S.-Mexico border to remember loved ones whose lives told the story of the vibrant region.

The 22 people killed ranged in age from 15 to 90, and included citizens of Mexico and the U.S. Many had deep ties in each country, with family on each side of the border and routines that included crossing the border to shop.


The funeral for 66-year-old Alexander Hoffmann Roth was held Friday afternoon in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, located just across the border from El Paso. Born in postwar Germany, he was serving in the German air force and stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso when he crossed the border into Ciudad Juarez and met the Mexican citizen who would become his wife at a dance club.

“It’s an incredible binational place. I’ve had so many good memories in this area from Juarez and El Paso … the people, the food, the music, the ambiance, everything, everything is so warm,” said his daughter, Elise Hoffmann-Taus. “And this, this really hurts.”

Her father, she said, mindful of what had happened in his native country, would often talk about the importance of studying history and warned about the danger of letting hate enter one’s heart. He had crossed the border from his home in Ciudad Juarez on Aug. 3 to pick up groceries and medicine when he was killed.

She said that the long wait times to cross the border had made it harder as she tried to gather information about her father. The border waits have ballooned in recent months.

On Thursday in El Paso, a memorial service was held for 41-year-old Leonardo “Leo” Campos, who was killed along with his wife. Leo Campos grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas but had in recent years moved to El Paso.


“He would always tell me stories about the scenic view and the culture. That it was really different up here,” his brother, David Campos, who lives in San Juan, Texas, told the El Paso Times.

David Campos said he was heartened to know his brother had made so many friends in El Paso. Visiting the city for the first time for his brother’s service, David Campos made an observation: “El Paso is just a united city; no matter what has happened, it’s united.”

The service for 15-year-old Javier Amir Rodriguez is set for Saturday at an El Paso church. The teen, who was starting his sophomore year in high school, was at the Walmart with his uncle when he was killed. The avid soccer player was remembered as a fun-loving teen who was a good teammate during a vigil held Monday at the Horizon High School football stadium in El Paso.

The funeral was Friday in El Paso for 77-year-old Juan Velazquez. He and his wife, Nicholasa Velazquez, were shot Saturday after parking their car at the Walmart. She was injured and he died Monday.


Cruz Velazquez told The New York Times that his father, who was born in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, moved first to Ciudad Juarez and then to Denver, where he lived for 30 years. He eventually moved to El Paso because it was peaceful.

“He fought to get ahead in the United States,” said Cruz Velazquez, who said his father had become a U.S. citizen. /jpv

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

After Texas shooting, Democrat O’Rourke accuses Trump of stoking racism

EL PASO, United States — Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke accused President Donald Trump Saturday of inciting hatred after a mass shooting in his Texas hometown that police are investigating as a possible hate crime.

Speaking to reporters outside a hospital in El Paso where he was visiting victims of the shooting, O’Rourke said Trump had proven himself a racist with his recent attacks on four ethnic minority congresswomen and his past branding of Mexicans as rapists.


“He is a racist and he stokes racism in this country. And it does not just offend our sensibilities, it fundamentally changes the character of this country and it leads to violence,” said O’Rourke, who represented El Paso in the US Congress until recently.

“We’ve had a rise in hate crimes every single one of the last three years during an administration where you have a president who’s called Mexicans rapists and criminals.”

O’Rourke was responding to questions about a manifesto purportedly written by the gunman which railed against the Hispanic “invasion” of Texas which borders Mexico.

More than 80 percent of El Paso’s population is Hispanic, according to US census figures.


Asked if any of the contents of the manifesto should “fall at the feet” of Trump, O’Rourke replied: “Yes.”

“There are still details that we are waiting on but I’m just following the lead that I’ve heard from the El Paso police department where they say there are strong indications that this shooter wrote that manifesto and that this was inspired by his hatred of people here in this community.”

A suspect being questioned by police over the shooting has not been named by the authorities, although US media have identified him as Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old who lives on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas.

After nearly ousting the incumbent Texas Senator Ted Cruz in last year’s mid-term elections, O’Rourke had been one of the favorites to challenge Trump for the presidency when he announced his candidancy in March. His campaign, however, has faltered since then.

Trump has faced growing accusations of racism since he attacked the four left-leaning lawmakers last month in a series of tweets, saying they should “go back” to their countries of origin. The president insists he hasn’t “a racist bone” in his body.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Strasbourg shooting suspect identified

STRASBOURG, France — Two police officials have identified the suspected Strasbourg gunman as 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt.

One police source said Chekatt’s criminal record mentions 25 judicial cases, including several serious cases of robbery.

The official said his apartment was searched by police on Tuesday morning — hours before the shooting — in an investigation for attempted murder. He was not at home at the time.

The two officials spoke anonymously because they were not allowed to speak publicly on an ongoing investigation.

The suspect was still on the run on Wednesday after he fired gunshots near the famous Christmas market of Strasbourg, killing three and wounding at least 13 people.

The suspected Strasbourg gunman was convicted of robbery in Germany in 2016 and sentenced to two years and three months in prison for breaking into a dental practice and a pharmacy.

The verdict from a district court in Singen, obtained by The Associated Press, says he was also sentenced to prison in France in 2008 and in Basel, Switzerland in 2013 for various robberies. News agency dpa reported he was deported to France in 2017.

According to the verdict, the suspected attacker grew up with six siblings in Strasbourg, worked for local authorities after leaving school and had been unemployed since 2011. He said he had been traveling a lot and had already spent four years in prison. The German robberies took place in Mainz near Frankfurt in 2012 and in Engen near the Swiss border in 2016.

The European Parliament is planning a minute of silence at noon to remember the victims of the Strasbourg shooting, which happened only a few kilometers from the legislature.

European Parliament Antonio Tajani called the shooting “a criminal attack against peace, against democracy, against our model of life.”

He said even as the Parliament went into a lockdown late Tuesday, legislators continued their work until midnight.


"We have to go forward and not change our ways,” Tajani said. /kga

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Metallica Help Police Search for Murderer

Metallica frontmant James Hetfield has filmed a public service video to aid law enforcement officials in tracking down a man suspected of murderering Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington after the band's 2009 gig in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hetfield shared a police sketch of the suspect and urged fans to speak up. "Remember, any information – no matter how small you might think it is – could be that crucial piece investigators need to help solve the case," he says.

FBI officials have used DNA evidence found with Harrington's corpse to link her killer to a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax City, Virginia. Police fear that the suspect is predatory, and may attack other women if he has not already. The Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers organization is offering $100,000 for any information leading to an arrest, and Metallica has put up a $50,000 reward.

article source: rollingstone.com