The New York City subway shooter, identified as 63-year-old Frank James, who called himself the "Prophet of Doom," pleads guilty to terrorism charges for shooting 11 passengers in a rush-hour attack.
The suspect reportedly opened fire on a packed Brooklyn subway train last year that resulted in the injury of 10 people. On Tuesday, James pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges that could place him inside a jail cell for the rest of his life.
New York City Subway Shooter Pleads Guilty
The shooter admitted in Brooklyn federal court to pulling the trigger on a Manhattan-bound train as it was moving between stations on Apr. 12, 2022. It was an assault that prosecutors said was "intended to inflict maximum damage at the height of rush hour."
The defendant was seen wearing a beige jail jumpsuit in court and read from a prepared statement. He said that he only intended to cause serious bodily injury and not death, but noted that he was well aware that his actions could have been lethal to his victims in the station, as per the Associated Press.
At the time of the shooting, James was dressed as a maintenance worker and equipped with a 9mm handgun. After setting off a pair of smoke grenades, the suspect fired his weapon at least 33 times, wounding several victims ranging in age from 16 to 60 in the legs, back, buttocks, and hand.
As the train pulled into a station in Sunset Park, the shooter fled in the haze and confusion of the situation, setting off a 30-hour citywide manhunt that ended when he called law enforcement to turn himself in.
James was charged with 10 counts of committing a terrorist attack and other violence against a mass transportation system and vehicle carrying passengers and employees. Also, the shooter pleaded guilty to one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Intent To Cause Serious Bodily Injury
According to CNN, while James injured 10 people with his handgun, he also wounded several others when he used his smoke grenades, with a total of 29 people being hospitalized after the crime. In a statement, the defendant's attorneys said that their client accepted the responsibility for the shooting "since he turned himself in to law enforcement."
In their statement, attorneys Mia Eisner-Grynberg and Amanda David said that a just sentence in the case will carefully balance the harm that James caused with his age, health, and the Bureau of Prisons' allegedly inadequate medical care.
While the defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, prosecutors said that they were willing to recommend a sentence in the range of 31 to 37 years if James shows enough remorse. This was revealed in a letter sent by Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York to District Court Judge William Kuntz.
Peace noted that James' crimes of violence were met with swift justice, calling the guilty plea an important step towards holding the shooter fully accountable for his actions and helping the victims and the city heal from the horrific attack, the New York Times reported.
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