By Michela Arlia and Matt Hirsch
Editor’s Note: This story remains developing.
On Tuesday, April 11, during the usual early morning rush hour commute, havoc wreaked through a Manhattan-bound N-line subway car.
A gunman wearing a gas mask and green construction vest opened fire just before 8:30 a.m., as the train approached the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Before shooting, the suspect detonated a smoke canister on the train.
Police have reported that the gunman is still on the run and described him as an “active shooter.”
As of press time, at least 29 victims have been transported to various Brooklyn hospitals, with five victims in critical but stable condition, according to ABC News.
The D, N, and R train lines are currently suspended in Brooklyn and some parts of Manhattan as a result of the incident. These lines affected most Brooklyn College students as they commute to and from campus.
“Brooklyn College students and staff should avoid travel via the D, N, and R subway lines due to an ongoing police investigation,” read a CUNY Alert statement. “Travel to and from the college via alternate routes until the situation is resolved.”
Authorities found a white U-Haul van connected to the shooting on Kings Highway and West 3rd street in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The police quickly secured the area, making travel through the South-Brooklyn neighborhood difficult.
CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodriguez released a statement Tuesday afternoon to address the shooting.
“The shooting on our subway system this morning is the kind of horrifying incident that taps our deepest fears as New Yorkers,” read Chancellor Rodriguez’s statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who were personally impacted and their loved ones, and we pray for their full recovery.”