Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and Chief Executive Officer Janno Lieber urged lawmakers to adopt stricter gun controls and lauded straphangers who try to de-escalate tense situations on the subway.
The comment follows a harrowing shooting on the northbound A train Thursday, where two men started fighting on the train that was pulling into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station at around 5 pm. One man, who started the fight and had the gun, was eventually shot by another man.
Speaking on NY1 News Friday morning, Lieber said public officials should prioritize “getting guns out of people’s hands” so that similar instances don't happen in public spaces.
Governor Kathy Hochul last week announced she was deploying 1,000 National Guard members and state police officials to help the New York Police Department (NYPD) patrol the subways to keep crime at bay.
Lieber said riders who he talked to on the A train on Friday morning told him they feel safer when they see police officers in the subway system.
“The emphasis on de-escalation, that is a New York thing," Lieber said. "There are people who are willing to say, ‘Let's calm down, let's get it under control.’ And there were people on the train who did that, but once a gun is produced, the whole situation changes."
He also said de-escalation is something all New Yorkers should do, but he would never criticize anyone who chooses not to.
