The NYPD released photos of two people they are looking for in connection with the deadly Bronx subway station shooting a day ago, a shocking display of violence that played out on the platform in the middle of the afternoon.
One person died when gunfire broke out around 4:30 p.m. at the Mt. Eden Avenue station along Jerome Avenue, law enforcement said. The five who were injured are all expected to recover.
Police believe two rival groups met onboard before their beef spilled out on to the platform at the Mt. Eden/Jerome Avenue subway station in The Bronx. They are now searching for two alleged shooters, police said, and have identified a third as a person of interest. Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said one of the young people shot Monday is the person of interest.
Police say that the chaos started with a fight between two groups of teenagers on a northbound No. 4 train approaching the Mount Eden station.
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"We have two groups known to each other. They get on the train, one at 125th Street in Manhattan, we had the other get on at 161st Street in the Bronx near Yankee Stadium. Once the groups come together on the train, there's a verbal dispute that quickly turns into a physical fight," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. "As the train is pulling into the station at Mt. Eden, one round is fired inside the train car. You can imagine the chaotic scene. You have a crowded train pulling onto a crowded platform."
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At least one person took out a gun and fired while still on the train, police said. When the doors opened, more shots were fired on the platform, which is where each of the victims was struck — with innocent victims caught in the mix.
"You can imagine the chaotic scene. You have a crowded train pulling on to a crowded platform," Kenny said.
The name of the person who died has not been released. He was a 35-year-old homeless man described by the NYPD as an innocent bystander, who was shot in the chest.
Among the injured were two teenagers — a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, according to police. A man and a woman in their 20s and a 71-year-old man were shot as well. Each of the injured victims was taken to the hospital, where they are expected to recover, according to police.
Investigators have maintained that the shooting was not random, and believe some of the victims include members of the two feuding groups, while others were bystanders. The motive for shootings appears to be gang-related, police said.
No arrests had been made as of Tuesday morning. A senior police official said investigators were pulling video from cameras at the train station as part of their effort to identify the suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
