Man shot in the head at Brooklyn subway station

A man was shot in the head Thursday evening at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station in downtown Brooklyn, authorities said.

Police responded to the shooting just before 5 p.m., at the height of the evening rush hour. It was unclear whether the man who was shot had a relationship with the attacker, and the motive for the attack was under investigation, a police spokesman said. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

A person of interest was taken into custody at 5:20 p.m., police said, and a firearm was recovered, at Mayor Eric Adams’ office said on X. The station, served by the A, C and G trains, contains a police post, Transit District 30. As the police investigation continued into the evening, all trains passed through Hoyt-Schermerhorn and the police advised the audience to avoid the station.

The shooting occurred as the safety of the New York City subway system is under intense scrutiny. Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard to check passengers’ bags in an effort to curb crime and, she said, allay New Yorkers’ fears about the system.

Ms. Hochul sent 750 members of the New York National Guard and another 250 personnel from the state police and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to the transit agency in response to a recent spate of violent incidents.

Surveys by the MTA, which operates the subway, consistently show that some riders view the system as dangerous, but the data has not always confirmed the public’s perception. There has been no significant increase in crime in the system, and the chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime is small.

According to a New York Times analysis, there was about one violent crime per million subway rides in mid-2022. Since then, the overall crime rate has fallen and passenger numbers have increased.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Ana Ley reporting contributed.