A man who had been previously named a 'person of interest' in Tuesday's attack on a subway train in Brooklyn that left 10 people shot and 13 wounded is now considered a suspect, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.
A desk clerk named Tim at the Aragon Arms Hotel told NBC Chicago that the suspect, Frank R. James, lived in the building from April 2015 to March 2017.
The clerk would not provide his last name and says he did not work at the hotel during that time period.
The Aragon Arms Hotel is located at 4917 N. Kenmore Ave., in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.
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The hotel is a transient hotel and a Single Room Occupancy (SRO), which means that a majority of the guests permanent residents. Units are often rented out to those who have low or minimal income.
Authorities say that the suspect, 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.
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.
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.
This story has been updated
