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Brooklyn subway shooter Frank James compares himself to Jordan Neely as he receives multiple life sentences for terrifying attack

The courtroom was filled with tension as Frank James, 64, clad in a tan jumpsuit, remained emotionless throughout the proceedings

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The gunman, who opened fire on a crowded New York train on April 12, 2022, injuring ten people, was sentenced to life in prison by Judge William F Kuntz during a three-hour court hearing on October 5, 2023.

The courtroom was filled with tension as the perpetrator, Frank James, 64, clad in a tan jumpsuit, remained emotionless throughout the proceedings. Judge Kuntz condemned the rampage as an act of "pure evil."

Frank James, who had a history of expressing racist sentiments through videos posted online under the pseudonym "Prophet of Doom", claimed racism as the motivation behind his meticulously planned attack.

During a bizarre half-hour speech in US District Court in Brooklyn, he accused US health services and "ghetto mental health facilities" of failing him and other "poor people." He passionately argued, "People keep criminalizing people who need help."

Frank compares himself to Jordan Neely

James drew a parallel between his actions and the tragic death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with a history of mental illness who died in a chokehold incident involving ex-Marine Daniel Penny on a Manhattan train in May.

“I, like that young man, was a mental health consumer,” James said, adding, “I didn’t scream out for help — I made the mistake of reaching out and asking for help.”

Moreover, James asserted, "I am Black. That factors into why I'm sitting in front of you today," before reading passages from 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Frederick Douglass and a poem addressing racism in Baltimore.

However, Judge Kuntz firmly rejected these explanations. "Yes, we have issues with guns and mental illness and racism," he acknowledged, adding, "But only one man took it upon himself to get in that subway car on April 12, 2022."

James further quoted from various racially-focused works that he claimed to have read during his 17-month stay at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

He argued that his actions were meant to shed light on the challenges faced by Black individuals in America and insisted, "I alone am responsible for that attack — it had nothing to do with race, creed, color, or sexual orientation. They in no way deserved to have what happened to them."

Despite James's insistence on his motives, he sat impassively as five of his victims delivered impact statements, vividly recounting the horrifying experience of being on the subway during the attack.

Prosecutors had sought ten concurrent life sentences for James, emphasizing the careful and prolonged planning that had gone into the attack. They noted that he only ceased firing his semi-automatic Glock pistol when it jammed.

In contrast, James's defense attorneys argued for an 18-year prison sentence, citing his lifelong struggle with paranoid schizophrenia leading up to the attack. They contended that James was not “not evil” but “very, very ill” -- and should receive leniency for the appalling crime.

In January of the same year, James had pleaded guilty to ten counts of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system, one for each gunshot victim.

He admitted that his intention was to cause serious bodily injury to the people on the train, though he claimed he hadn't intended to kill anyone. Additionally, he received an extra ten-year sentence for discharging a firearm during an act of violence.

Prosecutors' account

Federal prosecutors provided chilling details of the attack, stating that James had set off smoke bombs on a crowded Manhattan-bound N train in Sunset Park.

He disguised himself as an MTA worker, donning a yellow hard hat and orange reflective vest, and opened fire strategically to create a "kill funnel," ensuring no one could stop him. The victims ranged in age from 16 to 60, with some also suffering from smoke inhalation or other injuries on the station platform.

The attack left the platform covered in blood and bodies, a horrifying scene that shocked New Yorkers.

Prosecutors revealed that James had been planning the attack since 2017, amassing weapons and leaving a digital trail detailing his plans. His online searches, including "MTA," "New York," "transit," and "stops on the N train," foreshadowed the chaos that would later unfold.

In a bizarre turn of events, James had even called Crime Stoppers on himself after a day-long manhunt following the shooting. In court, the prosecutor, Winik, chillingly described James's actions as "deliberately shooting fish in a barrel," with the "barrel" being a New York City subway car and the "fish" being innocent human beings, the New York Post reported.