Police say a 15-year-old kid was shot and killed in Queens after a fight broke out between two groups of youths on a subway train.
Aboard Friday at 3:43 p.m., a shooting occurred on an A train heading south. The man was shot once in the chest, according to the police, who were called to the scene.
When the train pulled into the Mott Avenue Station in Far Rockaway, a kind stranger helped get the young man off the train. Two transit bureau officers who had been roving the station came running to the victim as soon as they reached the platform. Paramedics eventually came and began CPR.
Cohen’s Children’s Hospital was called to the scene, but the adolescent was confirmed dead there.
The NYPD is reviewing MTA surveillance footage and interviewing eyewitnesses.
According to NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Jason Wilcox, “we’ve seen a lot this year where disputes quickly escalate to verbal fights and fast lead to physical conflicts confrontations that sadly have resulted to violence.”
The suspect, who police say is between 15 and 19 years old and was dressed in all black, has gotten off the train and is heading in an unknown direction.
Sources inside the police force have stated that they are investigating the possibility of a gang connection to the shooting, emphasizing that this was not an isolated incident.
The victim’s identity remains unknown at this time.
In both directions, A train service was halted between Far Rockaway-Mott Ave and Broad Channel as police looked into the incident.
This is the sixth homicide in a public transportation system in 2018.
Tuesday night, New York City’s top cop went below to try to ensure the safety of subway users, and Eyewitness News correspondent Josh Einiger was there to cover it.