NYPD criticized after shooting four people over fare evasion at Brooklyn subway

NYPD faces backlash after officers shot four people during a fare evasion incident at a Brooklyn subway station.

Public outrage erupted after NYPD officers shot four people during a confrontation over a $2.90 fare evasion at the Sutter Avenue subway station in Brooklyn on Sunday.

Authorities reported that the gunfire occurred shortly after 3 p.m. A 49-year-old bystander, struck in the head, remains in critical condition. Another bystander, a 26-year-old woman, was grazed by a bullet, and a police officer was also wounded. The FDNY confirmed that four individuals, including the suspect, were hospitalized. All shots fired came from the NYPD.

The incident began when officers spotted a man skipping the turnstile. According to Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, they followed him to the L train platform, where he allegedly brandished a knife and threatened the officers.

The officers pursued him onto a northbound L train and fired Tasers, which failed. The suspect then exited the train and charged at the officers with the knife, prompting them to open fire, striking him multiple times. He remains in critical condition.

Backlash spread across social media, with many criticizing the NYPD’s use of lethal force over a fare violation. On X, one user wrote, “A person’s life is worth $2.90?"

a person’s life is worth fucking $2.90. the nypd shot a man over jumping the turnstile and skipping fare which shouldn’t even exist in the first place. i hope they burn in the deepest pits of hell.

— mxno 🔻 (@imannerisms) September 16, 2024

Critics also highlighted the legacy media coverage of the incident, which they claimed was too pro-police.

we live in hell. the nypd commits a mass shooting and this is how it’s reported. pic.twitter.com/5oLUnVmC4t

— pb (@TheBreenRanger) September 16, 2024

Mayor Eric Adams defended the officers, calling the knife-wielding suspect a "career criminal" with over 20 arrests. Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlan blamed the suspect's actions, asserting that the officers were doing their job.