NYPD still searching for suspect who shot 2 on a Brooklyn C train Tuesday

Police say they are still searching Wednesday evening for a man who fired a gun on a C train at rush hour Tuesday, hitting a teenager and a 52-year-old bystander.

The shooting happened during evening rush hour Tuesday, on a northbound train as it pulled into the Ralph Avenue station in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, an NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist.

The suspect and a 17-year-old on the train got into a verbal argument which escalated, police said. Police added they don’t know whether the shooter and the teen knew each other.

The perpetrator then fired a weapon, hitting both the teen and the bystander, the spokesperson said. The 17-year-old was hit in the hand and taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. The 52-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was taken to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn.

Both were in a stable condition, police said.

The gunman, who police estimated to be between 16 and 20 years old, ran away in an “unknown direction,” police said.

Bedford Stuyvesant resident Hernán Murcia said he arrived in the Ralph Avenue station shortly after the shooting to police and detectives blocking off turnstiles and directing people out emergency exits. Two ambulances were outside the station.

“It makes me think it could have been me,” he said.

At the Ralph Avenue station Tuesday, two officers were in the station policing the platform and the turnstiles. While Gothamist was in the station, the officers ticketed one man for fare jumping and arrested another for failing to produce ID after jumping the turnstile.

About a dozen commuters who spoke to Gothamist said they were not aware there was a shooting.

When he learned of the incident, Brooklyn resident Gabriel Quiason said “random acts of violence” are some of the most frightening things for him as a commuter. However, the incident wouldn’t stop him from taking the train.

Resident Shakim Coleman said it made him worry for his mother, who regularly commutes on the train.

“I'm from New York all my life, so I'm more-so used to the craziness, but hearing that there was a shooting, it's a little shocking.”

Sammy Frank works on Fulton Street near the station, and normally commutes at rush hour. He said he would like to see more police on the trains.

“It is scary,” he said. “I’ve never heard of something like this happening around here.”

Bedford Stuyvesant resident Rupal Thakkar said she normally feels safe at the station but the incident made her “not want to take the train anymore.”

This story has been updated with new information.