Transit advocates call for ban on face coverings in NYC subway system following deadly Midtown shooting
By Rob Flaks
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NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — As the search continues for a suspect in the deadly shooting inside a New York City subway station, transportation advocates and the MTA are calling for reforms to keep riders safe.
Darrel Rodriguez, 26, of the Bronx, was gunned down in the vicinity of the northbound E train platform at 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan just after 12:20 p.m. on Saturday, following an argument with another man, police said.
Police said the person they are looking for fled on foot and was last seen wearing a red tracksuit, black vest, a backpack, and a black face covering.
Transit advocates are now calling for a ban on face coverings.
“If they are entering the station at the point of sale with the OMNY, they should have to pull down their mask, and at the platform they should have to do the same,” said Charlton D’Souza, founder and president of Passengers United.
The MTA did not make mention of that in its official statement to CBS News New York but did say it supports efforts from state lawmakers to prohibit concealed carrying of firearms within subway stations, subway cars, and MTA buses.
Notably, the state recently passed legislation mandating video cameras on all train cars. The MTA said it is reviewing Saturday’s footage to determine if the shooting happened on the platform or inside of the train car.
The NYPD said there have now been six killings in the subway system this year, compared to four at this time last year. And it has happened despite a record number of gun arrests underground this year.
While some riders feel it’s still safer than during the COVID-19 pandemic, others said they are having second thoughts.
“It worries us, of course, because we all take the train to go to work and the suspect is still on the run,” said Andres Perez, a friend of Saturday’s victim in Midtown. “We’re neighbors. We know each other. It bothers us.”
“It makes you feel unsafe, you know?” another person said.
Perez said he’s confident the NYPD will make an arrest.
“They’ll get him. They’ll get him. I hope they get him,” Perez said.
Anyone with any information on Saturday’s shooting is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
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