Brooklyn DA says 'evidence of self-defense' means no charges for alleged A train shooter, for now

The man who police say shot another man aboard a busy Brooklyn train on Thursday appears to have acted in self-defense, according to prosecutors, and will not face charges for now in the latest instance of gun violence on the subway.

"Yesterday's shooting inside a crowded subway car was shocking and deeply upsetting,” said Oren Yaniv, spokesperson for the Brooklyn district attorney's office, in a statement. “The investigation into this tragic incident is ongoing but, at this stage, evidence of self-defense precludes us from filing any criminal charges against the shooter."

Two men, identified by police as Younece Obuad, 32, and Dajuan Robinson, 36, got into a physical fight aboard an A train after Robinson began arguing with Obuad, police said. Robinson drew a gun and Obuad wrested it from him, shooting Robinson “more than once” as the train pulled into Brooklyn’s Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets station, according to police.

It’s the latest in a series of violent incidents on city subways that have prompted officials to send a flood of NYPD officers to conduct patrols and bag checks in train stations. Gov. Kathy Hochul recently deployed nearly 1,000 National Guard troops to assist with the bag checks in a move she said was meant to battle the perception of violence on trains.

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In a press conference on Friday, police emphasized that trains were largely very safe, with only a handful of crimes reported on Thursday even as millions rode the city’s subway system.

They said Robinson, who they claim brought the gun on board the A train, had not paid his fare and that targeting fare evasion had been a successful crime-fighting strategy.

“We are seeing a small group of people, a small group of individuals that we catch during these fare evasion operations that are recidivists, that have warrants,” said Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry. “That have guns, that have knives, and they don't pay their fare.”

But when asked if Robinson was considered a recidivist, police said no.

Adams said on Friday morning that he wanted Albany to increase his powers to detain people with mental health conditions.

“When you look at many of these random acts of violence that you're seeing, you’re seeing that it’s dealing with people who are dealing with some real severe mental health illness,” the mayor said on NY1.

During an interview on 77 WABC later in the morning, Adams said, “You’ve got to give us more power, Albany, to deal with involuntary removals for those who are dealing with severe mental health illness.”

Robinson is in critical but stable condition, police said. It’s unclear if he’s been diagnosed with a mental health condition and Adams gave no indication that was the case.

A woman who was also involved in the melee has not been identified.

Commuters on Friday morning said they were undeterred by Thursday night's violence, largely because they had no choice but to take the train.

Jose Aguilar, 50, said he was transferring from the A/C trains to the G train on Thursday when he heard the shots and saw people fleeing from the stopped train. But he was back to commuting again on Friday morning.

“My wife said, ‘Be really careful on the train.’ But I said, ‘I have to take it.’” he said.

“I don’t feel very safe, because now you can’t walk normally through the trains,” Aguilar added. “You don’t know who will attack someone suddenly, there are a lot of crazy people walking around here … I can’t walk like an innocent person. I walk like this [rigidly] as if I had enemies.”

Carlos Portillo, 60, said that overall he feels safe on the city's trains, which he’s been riding for about 30 years. With the exception of the pandemic, things have improved in his estimation.

“COVID really took a bite out of everybody. But I think things are getting better,” he said. “We all take the subway. There’s not a lot of choice for our people. We know the cops are doing the best they can. We all have to be a little more vigilant.”

This story has been updated with new information.