‘Prophet of Doom’ who wounded 10 in New York subway shooting gets life in prison
- Frank James, 64, sparked a citywide manhunt after he sprayed a subway car with bullets during rush hour
- In court, he expressed contrition for his actions but criticised the country’s mental health system, saying it had failed especially people of colour like him
A man who sprayed a New York subway car with bullets during rush hour, wounding 10 people and sparking a citywide manhunt, was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison after several of his victims tearfully and angrily recounted their ongoing trauma.
Frank James, 64, pleaded guilty earlier this year to terrorism charges in the April 12, 2022, mass shooting aboard a Manhattan-bound train. He received a life sentence on 10 counts and 10 years for an 11th count of discharging a firearm during an act of violence.
Three of his victims spoke in court of the physical and emotional pain they continue to experience more than a year after the attack in a packed subway car. They described the panic and the splattered blood on the train, and how they used their own clothes as tourniquets to stanch the bleeding from victims’ wounds.
“I have not been able to make sense of it,” said a young man identified as B.K. At times his voice cracked as he spoke and his eyes turned glassy from tears.
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At least 10 shot, 6 others injured at New York subway station in Brooklyn
Another victim, a 51-year-old man identified as L.C., told the court he had post-traumatic stress disorder and thoughts of suicide.