Brooklyn Subway Shooting Update: James Stockpiled Ammunition, Feds Say

NEW YORK CITY — An ever-growing mountain of details about subway shooting suspect Frank James has surfaced since his arrest Wednesday on a terror charge, for which he is now being held without bail.

James, 62, is under a permanent order of detention until his trial, a judge ordered during his arraignment on a federal terror charge Thursday.

He was arraigned on a charge that prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks against mass transportation systems, and could face life in prison if found guilty of opening fire on a Brooklyn subway train Tuesday morning.

A 30-hour manhunt for James, 62 followed Tuesday's rush hour mass shooting. It ended when authorities apprehended him in the East Village, where he was spotted by at least one Crime Spotter tipster.

But, as with many aspects of James’ life, there is confusion about who phoned in the critical tip. Several New Yorkers have prominently taken credit for the tip, but some officials reportedly said James might have called the tip line himself.

What’s becoming more clear is what authorities believe James did before, during and after the mass shooting.

A 10-page federal complaint embedded below provides new details about the attack that left 23 people injured.

James is believed to have entered the subway at Kings Highway station before popping a smoke grenade and firing 33 shots into an N train car near 36th Street station, according to witness testimony and photographs outlined in the complaint.

Amid the chaotic scene on the N platform, James slipped onto an R train and got off at the 25th Street station, officials said. Shortly after, he entered the Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street station in Park Slope — his last known location before his arrest the following day, according to authorities.

Law enforcement officials searching the Sunset Park subway after the attack found a U-Haul van key that was later revealed to be connected to James, as well as bags filled with fireworks, a gun, a container of gasoline and a torch, prosecutors said.

While searching through the pockets of a construction vest that James apparently left on the subway platform, officials also found a receipt for a storage unit registered in his name, according to prosecutors.

The unit, which James visited the night before the attack, was filled with ammunition — including that used in semi-automatic rifles — targets and gun parts, the complaint states.

In the wake of the attack, Mayor Eric Adams added more police to citywide stations and said that the city is exploring installing metal detector technology in stations to increase transit safety, despite the fact that other surveillance technology malfunctioned during the shooting.

Some experts, though, said that Tuesday's subway shooting fits a national pattern of mass shootings — lone shooters who often give off warning signs — separate from the citywide increase in crime.

James, whose motives still remain unknown, reportedly posted dozens of troubling videos spewing bigoted views and endorsing violence on social media in recent years.

As of Wednesday, police are still investigating whether James planned other attacks, James Essig, the NYPD's chief of detectives, said.

The FBI is also seeking the public's help on its investigation into James, said Michael Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the bureau's New York field office. People can provide tips by 1-800-CALL-FBI or fbi.gov/brooklynshooting, he said.

Read the full federal complaint against James here:

United States v. Frank James - Complaint by Matt Troutman on Scribd

Patch editor Matt Troutman contributed to this report.

Related Coverage:

• Brooklyn Subway Attack Suspect Frank James To Be Held Without Bail
• Arrested: Brooklyn Subway Shooting Suspect Caught In East Village
• Brooklyn Subway Shooting Suspect: What To Know About Frank James
• 'I Kept My Eyes Open': Commuters Return To Sunset Park Subway Station