The authorities will investigate the failure of the security cameras in the New York City subway station where a gunman opened fire this month.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s acting inspector general, Elizabeth Keating, announced the investigation Monday.
“Since the horrific mass shooting two weeks ago in Sunset Park raised questions about the MTA’s camera system, the Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation into why the cameras were not broadcasting on April 12 and a review of the camera program. maintenance and repair for critical equipment,” Keating said in a statement.
The 18-year-old recounted how a good Samaritan helped him get off the train after being shot in the midst of the chaos.
Police acknowledged that the security cameras at three stations were not working on the morning of April 12including the Brooklyn station where the gunman activated a smoke device and shot 10 people.
After the April 12 attack at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, law enforcement sources told our sister network NBC New York that the inability to access the station’s cameras slowed down the investigation. Had it not been for the cell phone video, there would be little to no video showing what happened immediately after the suspected gunman opened fire, shooting 10 passengers on the N line train.
An MTA representative said the cameras malfunctioned that day due to an Internet server problem and that the agency “has made significant use of the Transit Safety Grant Program, but we have been disappointed that the funding has changed since 2012.
The MTA refuted claims that the camera malfunction hampered the investigation. Staff said other videos and other evidence in the system turned out to be critical.
The agency has nearly 10,000 cameras in its 472 subway stations, and other cameras at nearby stations helped police track suspect Frank James’s movements before and after the shooting.
James also left behind a bag containing weapons, smoke grenades, and the key to a U-Haul truck he had driven. The truck was found parked near a station where authorities believe James entered the subway dressed in construction gear.
He was arrested the next day in New York and charged with a federal terrorism offense.
The images show when he is taken away by the authorities and mounted on a police patrol.
All victims of the shooting are expected to survive.
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