NEW YORK (WABC) – Frontline MTA staff who assisted in the rescue effort during Tuesday’s subway shooting in Brooklyn will receive a special proclamation at the New York City Hall on Friday morning.
Mayor Eric Adams, who continues to isolate himself after a positive COVID-19 test, will lead the ceremony.
This comes as the suspected shooter remains in jail, detained on bail.
Frank R. James made his first appearance Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, where cameras are not allowed.
James, who is said to have put on a gas mask, dropped a smoke bomb and opened fire on a crowded subway train at Sunset Park, has not confessed.
He was detained for continued detention, although the judge did not rule out a future bail application.
Assistant Attorney General Sarah Winnick told the judge that 62-year-old James, who was detained on Wednesday after being found wandering the East Village and may have called police himself, terrified the entire city.
“The defendant fired terribly at passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute to work in a way the city has not seen in more than 20 years,” she said. “The defendant’s attack was deliberate, carefully planned and terrified the victims and our entire city. The very presence of the defendant outside federal detention poses a serious risk to the community and he must be detained pending trial.”
The judge agreed and has so far rejected James’ bail.
“The complaint speaks for itself,” he said.
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James’s court-appointed lawyer, Mia Eisner-Greenberg, has agreed to detain him without bail for now, but may seek bail later.
New details emerged on Thursday just hours after James appeared in court, in which investigators believe James may have accelerated the attack he allegedly carried out on Tuesday, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Investigators are working to determine whether James intended to carry out the attack while the train stopped at 36 Street Street, or whether he was somehow frightened and fired his smoke grenades earlier than expected, sources said.
Although James did not give statements to the arrested officers or at the station, this is a path that investigators are investigating.
As the subway car filled with smoke, James was believed to be kneeling on one knee to avoid the rising smoke, and opened fire from this squatting position. Investigators believe most of the gunshot wounds were to the legs or arms.
In a court file before his appearance, federal prosecutors called the shooting calculated and “completely premeditated,” saying James wore a helmet and jacket as a construction worker in disguise and then removed them after the shooting to avoid identification.
Prosecutors say James had the means to carry out more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other weapons-related items in a Philadelphia warehouse.
Although the long arrest warrant for James may seem “inconspicuous”, they said he painted “a picture of a man with a tendency to oppose the government and who cannot or does not want to comply with the law”.
Prosecutors called it a “serious and continuing risk to the community.”
Eisner-Greenberg also asked for her client to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and noted that she suffers from leg cramps. The lawyers agreed to a permanent detention order, pending a possible future request for bail.
James spoke briefly during the hearing.
Asked if he understood his rights, he said, “Yes.” Asked if he had seen the complaint, he replied: “Yes, I did.” Asked if he understood the accusation, he said, “Yes.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said James was spotted by passersby in the St. Louis area. Marks Place and First Avenue and that among the calls coming to Crime Stoppers was a person who claimed to be the suspect himself.
According to police sources, James called the New York police and told them that he was the man the police were looking for and that he wanted to surrender.
“I think you’re looking for me,” said the caller. “I see my picture in all the news and I’ll be around this McDonald’s.”
He was found nearby and detained without incident.
“My colleagues from New York, we caught him,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “We caught him.”
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James is charged under federal law, which prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks in the public transportation system. The federal government also accuses him of crossing state borders.
“We hope this arrest has brought some comfort to the victims and people of New York City,” Sewell said. “We have used every resource we have to gather and process significant evidence that directly links Mr James to the shooting. We were able to quickly shrink his world. There was nowhere to run.
Officials say the investigation is ongoing and are urging anyone with additional information to call the New York City Police Crime Hotline on 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or in Spanish on 1-888-57- TRACK (74782).
James will face up to life in prison if convicted of the attack, in which at least 29 people were shot or otherwise injured, shaking a city already nervous about the sharp rise in crime.
Officials said any potential motive remained unclear, but witnesses said the lone shooter was seen muttering while wearing a reflective vest before putting on a gas mask and removing a box from his bag, which then filled the car with smoke. Then he started firing.
Ten people were hit by bullets, while 19 others were injured or injured in the ensuing chaos.
None of the injuries were life-threatening, and authorities said a magazine stuck in the gun could have saved lives.
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After the shooting, Chief of Detective James Esig of the New York Police Department said that James boarded train R, which stopped at the station and passed one stop before exiting at 25th Street station. James was then seen again at a Park Slope subway station just under an hour later before disappearing from view.
Authorities have not found any meaningful arrests for a crime in James’s criminal history, but only a number of criminal charges. But James was known to New York police for a six-year rap list from 1992 to 1998, with nine previous arrests.
James’s obscene social media posts appear to be highly critical of the mayor for his homeless policies, including videos full of racist and sexist insults and controversy over Adams’ crackdown on subway people.
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