New York [US], April 28 : New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expressed relief following a shooting incident on a subway train in Queens on Monday evening, where a 15-year-old boy was wounded. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is currently questioning two persons of interest in connection with the attack, which occurred on a Manhattan-bound A train.
In a post on X, the Mayor confirmed he had been briefed on the situation involving the teenager, stating, "I have been briefed on the shooting this evening on an A train in Queens, where a 15-year-old was shot. I am relieved he is expected to survive."
https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2048959251704410587?s=20
The shooting took place during the busy evening rush as the train was pulling into the 80th Street station. According to CBS News, investigators believe the violence erupted after a verbal dispute on the carriage, though the exact motive for the argument remains under investigation.
Mamdani condemned the act, emphasising that such levels of violence are intolerable within the city's transit network. "This was an unacceptable incident; violence like this has no place on our subway system, and my administration is committed to doing everything in our power to make every New Yorker--especially children--safe on their daily commutes," he added.
Law enforcement officials arrived at the scene shortly after 6 p.m., at which point the station was cordoned off for evidence collection. Officers provided immediate medical assistance to the victim before transporting him to Jamaica Hospital.
Riders on the train described a scene of chaos as the gunfire began. "I did hear some gunshots, and believe me, they were not firecrackers. We were all nervous and jumped to the floor and stayed low," witness Junior White told CBS News. He added that as the train reached the platform, "everybody went crazy, man. It was pandemonium. Everybody took off running, including the two guys fighting."
Addressing the impact of the incident on public safety, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz emphasised the need to address illegal firearm possession among youth. "Any time there's a shooting on a train, it is a tragedy for the city of New York, and so we hope to get many more of these weapons off the street and out of the hands of our young people," Katz said.
Despite the ongoing investigation and the two individuals currently in custody, CBS News reported that no weapon has been recovered from the site so far.