The man who fired more than 30 shots on a New York City subway train last spring pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on Tuesday. Frank James was arrested on 13 April 2022 after opening fire on the subway, shooting 10 people.
James, 63 and from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation vehicle – one count for each gunshot victim, the Department of Justice noted – and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of his attack.
About 30 people required medical treatment after the shooting, which happened on 12 April, including four schoolchildren aged 12 to 16. In addition to bullet wounds, victims suffered smoke inhalation and injuries from falls and panic.
“The defendant terrifyingly opened fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way the city hasn’t seen in more than 20 years,” federal prosecutor Sara K Winik said in court. “The defendant’s attack was premeditated, was carefully planned, and it caused terror among the victims and our entire city.”
James fled the scene by boarding another train and throwing out the neon jacket and gas mask he had worn during the attack. He was arrested following a 30-hour manhunt.
A member of the public called in a tip that James was in a McDonald’s in downtown Manhattan. When police arrived, James had already departed the fast-food restaurant, and they started driving around the area. Officers spotted him at St Marks Place and First Avenue, one of the busiest intersections in that neighborhood.
The mass shooting not only renewed attention on constant gun violence in the US but also showed that cities and states with strong firearms laws can fall victim to other locales’ more relaxed statutes. The 9mm Glock that James used in the subway attack was sold to him in Ohio by a licensed firearms dealer.
James, who grew up in New York City but moved to Milwaukee, also has a criminal history prior to the shooting that includes nine arrests between 1992 and 1998 in the state of New York, largely for misdemeanors. James’s criminal record also includes three arrests in New Jersey in 1992, 1993 and 2007 for charges such as disorderly conduct and trespass.
James had posted hours of video missives on social media, including one published a day prior to the shooting, in which he raved about racism, society’s treatment of Black people, violence and homelessness. In March, James specifically cited the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, slamming his new public safety policies that single out homeless people in the subway.
James also discussed his history of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as the failing state of mental health services. Prior to the shooting, Adams had sent thousands of additional police to patrol the subway and kick out homeless persons staying there after a series of violent incidents on the subway.
