Suspect in Brooklyn subway train shooting called in the tip that led to his arrest, sources say

The motive of the capturing just isn’t but identified.

James was charged in federal courtroom with violating a legislation that prohibits terrorist and different violent assaults in opposition to a mass transportation system, in response to Breon Peace, US Lawyer for the Japanese District of New York. If convicted, he might spend life in jail, Peace stated. He was in federal custody Wednesday afternoon.

James can have his preliminary courtroom look Thursday, in response to a spokesperson for the US Lawyer’s Workplace for the Japanese District of New York. CNN has reached out to his federal defender for remark.

James had 9 prior arrests in New York relationship from 1992 to 1998, together with possession of housebreaking instruments, legal intercourse act, and theft of service, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig stated. He additionally had three arrests in New Jersey in 1991, 1992 and 2007 for trespassing, larceny and disorderly conduct, Essig stated.

Wednesday’s arrest got here hours after officers elevated James from a “particular person of curiosity” to a suspect — and shortly after the town issued an emergency alert to residents saying James was “wished” and asking for suggestions.

The picture gallery beneath comprises graphic pictures. Viewer discretion is suggested.

How investigators homed in on James

Officers laid out a few of James’ actions previous to the assault and the proof connecting him to the scene throughout Wednesday’s information convention.

James bought on the subway’s N practice on the Kings Freeway Station on Tuesday at about 8:30 a.m. ET, Essig stated. After opening hearth on the practice, he bought off on the thirty sixth Road station, boarded an R practice throughout the platform and rode to the twenty fifth Road station cease, Essig stated.

Lower than an hour later, he was noticed boarding the subway on the seventh Avenue and ninth Road station, about 1.5 miles away, Essig added.

Investigators combing via the capturing scene discovered a Glock 9 mm handgun, three prolonged magazines, two detonated smoke grenades, two non-detonated smoke grenades, a hatchet and keys to a U-Haul van, Essig stated. Witnesses additionally described the suspect as a heavyset Black man sporting a neon building jacket.

The gun discovered on the scene was bought by James in Ohio in 2011, Essig stated Wednesday. A bank card that was used to lease the U-Haul was additionally discovered, two legislation enforcement sources instructed CNN. Two officers instructed CNN they imagine the gun jammed throughout the capturing.

Federal prosecutors imagine he visited the storage facility full of ammunition and extra weapons on the night earlier than the Tuesday assault, in response to courtroom paperwork.

On Tuesday, authorities executed a court-authorized warrant to go looking the storage facility and located “9mm ammunition, a threaded 9mm pistol barrel that enables for a silencer or suppresser to be hooked up, targets and .223 caliber ammunition, which is used with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle,” amongst different issues.

In accordance with the grievance, legislation enforcement executed a search warrant at a Philadelphia condo authorities imagine James rented for 15 days starting round March 28 and located “an empty journal for a Glock handgun, a taser, a high-capacity rifle journal and a blue smoke cannister.”

Investigators didn’t discover every other weapons or explosives within the van, two legislation enforcement officers stated. The officers stated it appeared James might have slept within the car. They stated a license plate reader detected the van driving over the Verrazzano Bridge from Staten Island into Brooklyn round 4 a.m. ET Tuesday.

Authorities additionally tracked the acquisition of a gasoline masks to James via an eBay account, two officers stated.

His household didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark.

How the capturing unfolded

Individuals aboard the practice automotive on Tuesday morning stated smoke stuffed the automotive and gunshots rang out, inflicting individuals to push their method to the opposite aspect of the practice in panic and confusion.

Hourari Benkada, 27, who was shot at the back of the knee, stated he thinks he was sitting subsequent to the shooter.

Talking from a hospital mattress Tuesday, Benkada stated he’d gotten into the final automotive of the N practice and sat subsequent to a person with a duffel bag who seemed to be sporting an MTA vest. The person let off a “smoke bomb,” stated Benkada, a housekeeping supervisor on the New Yorker Resort.

“And all you see (is) smoke — black smoke … going off, after which individuals bum-rushing to the again,” Benkada stated. “This pregnant girl was in entrance of me. I used to be attempting to assist her. I did not know there have been photographs at first. I simply thought it was a black smoke bomb.

“She stated, ‘I am pregnant with a child.’ I hugged her. After which the bum-rush continued. I bought pushed, and that is after I bought shot at the back of my knee.”

The capturing began about 20 seconds after the practice took off from the 59th Road station and felt prefer it lasted for almost 2 minutes, Benkada stated.

Claire Tunkel, 46, who was within the subway automotive the place the capturing happened, described the scene as chaotic. She stated she could not see something due to the smoke, however she heard individuals crying out for assist and others saying they have been bleeding.

Individuals have been speeding to the entrance of the automotive, and a few fell to the bottom, she stated. “You would really feel the our bodies.”

Suspect talked about mass shootings in movies

James talked about violence and mass shootings within the movies, together with one uploaded Monday through which he stated he is thought of killing individuals who have presumably damage him.

In one other video posted final week, James rants about abuse in church buildings and racism within the office, utilizing misogynistic and racist language. Most of the movies that James uploaded included references to violence, together with at a set group of individuals he believed had maligned him, along with broad societal and racial teams that he appeared to hate.

In one other video posted final month to the identical channel, James stated that he had post-traumatic stress.