The first sign that something was amiss was when passengers began to crowd near the operator’s compartment. They were reporting chaos one car back.
Artis stated that after a brief moment of shock, his thoughts rapidly changed from “Oh my god!” to concern about his passengers. Artis leaned back on his emergency training.
“Then it kicked-in. After he and his fellow transit workers were recognized by the mayor for their actions in responding to Tuesday’s shooting, he stated that he would get them out.
Artis and Raven Haynes, the train conductor, radioed in the attack and threw open the train doors. All passengers were evacuated to another train that was on the same platform. Then, they began to help the injured.
Passenger photos and video captured the pair calmly, but authoritatively, herding stunned commuters onto another train. The train then sped off.
Mayor Eric Adams stated that New York City demonstrated to the world what it has always stood for, including courage, heroism and quick thinking.
Adams, who was absent from the City Hall ceremony because he has been diagnosed with COVID-19, presented the workers on Friday with proclamations in recognition of their heroism.
The ceremony was held just a day after Frank James, the man authorities claim is responsible for the carnage, appeared in court at a federal courthouse, just a few stops from the scene.
Prosecutors claim that he posed as a worker on a construction site and used smoke grenades to set off fire alarms. He then pulled out a handgun, fired 33 shots and reloaded once before the gun stopped working.
According to subway workers, the gunman was not visible in the chaos and they were focused on getting people out.
“I shouted to the people, Get on the train! Get on the train! Artis stated, “Get on the train!”
Haynes, the conductor, stated that she did not feel fear having worked at an air terminal before joining the Metropolitan Transportation Authority many years ago. She was also used to reacting in unpredictable situations.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to be calm in times of chaos. She said that a calm attitude helps passengers to feel calm and helps them get out safely and quickly.
The victims of shooting ranged from 16 to 60 years old. The majority of wounds were to the legs and back, as well as the buttocks. A 16-year old boy was also shot in the hand. All are expected to survive.
As the wounded passengers limped onto the platform, many knelt to help the injured. One man took off his shirt to make a tourniquet for a person who had been shot in the leg.
Artis stated that he discovered blood on the subway car, the luggage of the gunman, and bullet casings when he checked it to make sure it was empty. He reported this immediately to transit operators to get police involved.
Haynes described Haynes’ reaction to the scene after she directed the passengers to flee.
She said that she finally saw the train’s front and could see the entire second car, as well as the entire platform north, in smoke.
Investigators believe that James, in his confusion, slipped off the rescue train with other passengers. He exited one station down, having ditched both his helmet and construction worker costume.
After a manhunt throughout Manhattan, he was finally arrested in Manhattan the next day.
The NYPD announced Friday that it would split a $50,000 reward for information leading James’ capture among five people who provided tips. This reward money was donated by the New York City Police Foundation. It is a non-profit supporting the NYPD and the MTA as well as the union of transit workers.
There is so much to learn about Tuesday’s shooting as well as the suspects’ past encounters with the law.
One of his first encounters with law enforcement was when he lost his job as a maintenance worker at Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services, Elizabeth, New Jersey. He had been a client there for more than 15 years, according to the chief executive officer.
“At the time of his dismissal, we referred Mr. James to additional mental health services and contacted Elizabeth, New Jersey police who conducted an investigation. Cory Storch is Bridgeway’s chief executive officers. “He has not been involved with our organization since that time,” he said.
Storch stated that the “devastating incident” highlights the need to improve access to mental health care and follow-up services for people in crisis to prevent future violence.
At a short court appearance on Thursday, Sara K. Winik, Assistant U.S. attorney, stated that James’ premeditated and carefully planned attack “caused terror amongst the victims as well as our entire city.”
James was placed in jail without bail. James’ lawyers requested that Magistrate Roanne Mann place a request for James to receive “psychiatric care.”
Hourari Benkada was a passenger that was shot in the leg and told The Associated Press in an interview, that he was only feet from the gunman.
Benkada claimed that he was listening on headphones to music when smoke started filling his car. He thought it was a small fire.
He said that the smoke was “continuing to escalate to black, dark smoke like 9/11” and that the train was “pitch-black.”
Benkada claimed he heard gunshots, screams, and tried to protect a pregnant lady from being hit during the chaos. As people moved forward, a gunshot pierced his knee.
Investigators searched dozens of videos James had posted to social media in an effort to find a motive. These videos contain profanity-laced diatribes on racism, society’s treatment Black people, homelessness, and violence.
James, a New York City native also spoke about his past of psychiatric treatment. He also complained about New York’s handling of homeless people on subways, and gun violence. Prosecutors noted that he also discussed shooting people.
Investigators believe that James, who had recently moved from Milwaukee to a temporary rental in Philadelphia, rented and drove a U-Haul van in Philadelphia just hours before the shooting.
