Investigators in New York have identified a person-of-interest in a shooting attack that left more than 20 people injured, and tonight new details are emerging about the individual’s ties to Chicago and to the Midwest.
The person-of-interest was identified as 62-year-old Frank James. Police are attempting to track him down after 10 people were shot and more than a dozen were injured on a New York subway early Tuesday.
Authorities say that the gunman, who was wearing a gas mask, threw two smoke grenades onto the floor of a train as it pulled into the 36th Street station. He then opened fire with a Glock 9mm handgun, with authorities saying he fired nearly three-dozen shots.
The shooting only stopped because the weapon jammed, and the gunman escaped the scene in the ensuing chaos.
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In a nearby subway tunnel, officers recovered a bag they believe was dropped the suspect. It contained consumer-grade fireworks, extended magazines and a bottle of gasoline.
They also found a key to a U-Haul van that was parked a few miles away from the scene. That van was rented from a Philadelphia business by James, who apparently has ties to the Chicago area.
NBC News has learned that James once lived in Chicago in a building in the Uptown neighborhood.
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According to a YouTube page purportedly belonging to James, he also at least passed through the area recently.
In a video uploaded on March 20, entitled “Stop One Complete,” James said that he was leaving Wisconsin and that he was coming back to Illinois.
“As soon as I leave the state of Wisconsin, about to be back in the state of Illinois, all I can say is good riddance,” he said.
James also had a mailing address in Milwaukee, where he was seen as recently as five days ago, according to NBC News.
For now, New York is left reeling after the attack, which left five people in critical condition. All are expected to survive. A total of 29 people were treated in hospitals for gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation and other conditions stemming from the attack.
New York police are offering a $50,000 reward for information about the attack, according to officials.
