A man who shot 10 people on a New York City subway car at rush hour, wounded 10, and prompting a citywide manhunt was given a life sentence on Thursday as several of his victims described their enduring anguish in tearful and enraged detail.
The 64 year old man who’s name was given as Frank James 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.
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L.C., who said he worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the time of the shooting, bought an e-bike to avoid riding trains. When he regained his confidence and returned to the subway, he relived the horror of the shooting upon seeing a man wearing a vest similar to the one James had worn.
‘I immediately thought of you, Frank James,’ the victim said, his voice booming with anger.
Another victim, who later identified himself as Fitim Gjeloshi, 21, began to share his own story with words of forgiveness — “I don’t blame him. He needs help.” — then began to sob.
“I can’t do this,” he said, walking out of court. He later returned to hear the judge sentence James.
During his own 15-minute address to the court, James expressed contrition for his actions but criticized the country’s mental health system, saying it had failed especially people of color like him.