A man was in critical condition after he was shot during a physical altercation in a New York City subway station filled with commuters during rush hour, police said.
The unidentified 36-year-old was in surgery at a local hospital after the incident that took place on an A train that was traveling northbound in Brooklyn around 4:45 p.m.
An unidentified 32-year-old man who allegedly opened fire on the victim was with detectives, Michael M. Kemper, NYPD’s chief of transit told reporters at a news conference.
In this screen grab from a video, police officers are shown at the scene of a subway shooting in Brooklyn, New York, on March 14, 2024.
WABC
The incident started when the 32-year-old man got on the train at Nostrand Avenue and was allegedly approached by the 36-year-old who was acting “aggressive and provocative,” Kemper said.
An argument broke out between the men and it got physical, Kemper said.
At one point the 36-year-old brandished a “knife or sharp object,” but then put the object down, according to Kemper.
The physical fight ensued again and the 36-year-old then removed a gun from his coat and approached the other man “in a menacing way,” Kemper said.
The 32-year-old allegedly took the gun away from the 36-year-old after they continued fighting and then fired multiple shots as the train was pulling into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, Kemper said.
In this screen grab from a video, police tape is shown at the scene of a subway shooting in Brooklyn, New York, on March 14, 2024.
WABC
Commuters who were on the train and the station platform ducked for cover during the incident, according to video from the scene.
“There were multiple police officers in this station just feet away from when the train pulled in, who heard the shots and moved in right way,” Kemper said.
No one else was injured in the incident and no arrests have been made as of 7 p.m. local time Police remained at the station to question eyewitnesses and collect more evidence.
Kemper said it didn’t immediately appear that the two men knew each other. The investigation is ongoing.
People kneel in a subway car at the scene of a shooting in Brooklyn, New York, on March 14, 2024.
ABC News
The shooting comes one week after Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York National Guard troops and New York State Police troopers would be assisting city officers in protecting the subways.
A NYPD police transit bureau operates inside the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station.
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber decried the violence and reiterated his call for more gun control.
“The real victims are the people I saw in those videos,” he told reporters. “They are just trying to go about with their lives. Just get rid of the guns.”
ABC News’ Joyce Philippe contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.