A man who shot 10 people on a busy New York subway train has been sentenced to life behind bars.
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.
Before the shooting, James posted dozens of videos online under the moniker “Prophet of Doom,” ranting about race, violence, his struggles with mental illness and a host of unnamed forces he claimed were out to get him.
Another victim, a 51-year-old man identified as L.C., told the court he had post-traumatic stress disorder and thoughts of suicide.
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.
Before the shooting, James, who is Black, posted dozens of videos online under the moniker “Prophet of Doom,” ranting about race, violence, his struggles with mental illness and a host of unnamed forces he claimed were out to get him.
“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.
But he said his was not a “sob story”.
“I alone am responsible and no one else for that attack,” he said. He added that his violence was not due to animus toward any race or sexual orientation.
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U.S. District Court Judge William Kuntz told James that what he did was “pure evil”.
Prosecutors had asked for the life sentence, saying James spent years carefully planning the shooting in order to “inflict maximum damage”.
James’ attorneys had asked for a reduced sentence of 18 years, saying he didn’t intend to kill anyone and citing his mental illness.
Disguised as a construction worker on the day of the shooting last year, James waited until the train was between stations, denying his targets a chance to flee. Then he ignited multiple smoke bombs and unleashed a barrage of bullets from a 9 mm handgun at panicked riders.
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