Live Updates: Search Underway for Gunman After 5 Shot, Devices Found at NYC Subway StationFire personnel responding to reports of smoke at the 36th Street station in the Sunset Park neighbourhood found multiple people shot and undetonated devices.
Five people were shot in a Brooklyn subway station Tuesday morning and several more were injured when a gunman opened fire after possibly throwing a smoke grenade onto the station platform before fleeing the chaos.
According to fire officials and three law enforcement sources, several undetonated devices were also found at the location, and the gunman remains on the loose.
They stress the investigation is preliminary.
The gunman was described as a man about 5 feet 5 inches tall and 180 pounds who was wearing a gas mask and an orange construction vest, according to three senior law enforcement officials.
Several law enforcement sources told NBC 4, New York, the shooter may have thrown a device, possibly a smoke grenade, before opening fire at the 36th Street and Fourth Avenue station in Sunset Park around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Two of the five shooting victims were said to have been seriously wounded. The extent of the other victims' injuries wasn't clear. As for the other people who were hurt, officials said their injuries likely stemmed from the crowd's response to the chaos.
Cops believe the attacker acted alone. A motive is under investigation, though right now the all-out manhunt for the gunman is investigators' top priority.
Experts say that the shooting appears to have been an orchestrated attack at this early stage, though they caution that much could change rapidly as details develop.
The FDNY says it responded to a call for a smoke at the station and found multiple gunshot victims. No details were immediately available on the undetonated devices, but NYPD later tweeted that there were no active explosive devices.
Multiple People Shot in Brooklyn Subway Station
Multiple people have been shot in a Brooklyn subway station and several undetonated devices have been found at the location, according to fire officials and law enforcement sources
Photos posted to social media showed people bloodied on the platform, and Citizen app footage showed a heavy law enforcement presence at the scene.
Some of the wounded jumped on another train to flee to the next station, sources said.
The NYPD warned New Yorkers to avoid the area and to expect emergency vehicles and delays. Power was shut off on the N/R Line from 59 Street to Atlantic Avenue and major delays were reported on the B, D, F, N, Q and R lines. W service is suspended.