Accountability

Suspected NYC subway mass shooter facing 11 life sentences

Published

3 years ago

December 19, 2022

Accused subway gunman Frank James is facing 10 charges of terrorism – one charge for each of the people shot in the April shooting.

James, 63, is facing 10 counts of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system and vehicle carrying passengers and employees, and an 11th count for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Each charge carries the possibility of life in prison.

He was previously charged with a single terrorism offense to which he pleaded not guilty.

According to assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Winik, James “terrifyingly opened fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way this city hasn’t seen in more than 20 years,” adding that the attack was “premeditated” and “carefully planned.”

The upgraded charges came after it was revealed that MTA surveillance cameras in the station were not working on the day of the shooting. The cameras had reportedly been broken for four days prior as well.

James was arrested a day after the shooting. His trial is scheduled to begin in late February.

Terry A. Hurlbut

+ posts

Terry A. Hurlbut has been a student of politics, philosophy, and science for more than 35 years. He is a graduate of Yale College and has served as a physician-level laboratory administrator in a 250-bed community hospital. He also is a serious student of the Bible, is conversant in its two primary original languages, and has followed the creation-science movement closely since 1993.