2022 New York subway shooting- The shooter’s appeal was rejected and his life sentence was maintained._1

In a recent ruling, a federal court upheld the life sentence of Frank James, the 63-year-old gunman convicted for a mass shooting in the Sunset Park subway in Brooklyn. This decision was made on October 10, rejecting James’ appeal against the life sentence handed down in the Eastern District of New York last year.

The shooting incident occurred on April 12, 2022, when James released smoke grenades and opened fire in a subway car heading toward Manhattan. He fired 30 rounds, injuring 10 individuals and causing a total of 29 injuries.

Among the victims was Aaron Hu, a Chinese American teenager, who was struck by two bullets that pierced his left leg and three that hit his right leg. At the time of the attack, Hu had recently graduated from a program at the Chinatown Manpower Project and was interning at their finance office, while also starting his first semester at a community college.

During the appeal, James’ defense argued that he did not intend to kill anyone; however, the appellate court disagreed, stating that “there is ample evidence to indicate that James’ actions were aimed at causing as many deaths as possible.”

Prosecutors asserted that James had planned the attack for over a year, presenting it as a premeditated crime. They also highlighted his social media activity, where he expressed racist and nihilistic sentiments, even voicing a desire to see more mass shootings occur.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals noted, “In the years leading up to the attack, James posted multiple videos online discussing ways to reduce the human population and expressed admiration for notorious killers like Ted Bundy.” Given these facts, the court maintained that there was no reason to dispute the conclusion that James intended to kill his victims.