Shooting at New York subway station: six injured, one in critical condition

Six people were injured and one person is in critical condition after a shooting at a New York subway station just before rush hour Monday afternoon, firefighters said.

The fire department said authorities were alerted just after 4:30 pm (2130 GMT) and one patient was taken to hospital in critical condition, while four people were in critical condition and one had minor injuries. No motive for the shooting was given.

Broadcasters showed a major emergency response at the elevated Mount Eden Avenue subway station in the northern borough of the Bronx, nine miles (14 kilometers) north of Manhattan’s Times Square.

Police detectives and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were conducting fingerprint searches at the scene of the shooting.

“We are on the scene at the (Metro) Mount Eden Avenue station in the Bronx in an ongoing investigation. Please avoid the area… use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said on social media.

Mass shootings are common in the United States, where there are more guns than people and about a third of adults own a gun.

Polls show a majority of Americans favor stricter gun regulations, but the powerful gun lobby and mobilized voters who support the country’s strong gun rights culture have repeatedly prevented lawmakers from taking action.

New York has a lower murder rate than many major American cities, and in almost all cases it is illegal for citizens to possess firearms in public.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)