NEW YORK (AP) – The man accused of opening fire on a crowded Brooklyn subway is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday as investigators continue to probe his possible motive.
Frank James, 62, was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday, a day after the attack. Authorities say he fired smoke bombs and dozens of bullets at a train full of morning commuters, shooting dead 10 people.
“He fired about 33 shots in cold blood at frightened passengers who had nowhere to flee and nowhere to hide,” federal prosecutors wrote in court filings on Thursday, demanding that James be held without bail.
Calling the shooting deliberate and calculated, they said James wore a hard hat and construction-style jacket as disguise and then removed them after the shootout to avoid detection. Prosecutors suggested that James had the means to carry out more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other gun-related items in a Philadelphia storage unit.
An attorney appointed to represent him did not immediately respond to requests for comment. James didn’t respond to screaming reporters on Wednesday as he was ushered into a car by a police station bound for a federal prison.
Authorities say there is a wealth of evidence linking James to the attack. His credit card and a key to a van he had rented were found at the scene. Officers also found the pistol they said was used in the shooting; Records show James purchased the gun from a licensed gun dealer in Ohio in 2011.
Investigators examined many hours of videos James posted to social media, including one the day before the attack in which he delivered profanity-swearing words about racism, society’s treatment of black people, homelessness and violence. He also opened up about his history of psychiatric treatment and complained about the New York Mayor’s treatment of homeless people on subways and gun violence.
James was born and raised in New York City but moved to Milwaukee. He had recently left Wisconsin and lived briefly in Philadelphia.