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Frank R. James, the suspect in the Brooklyn, New York, subway train mass shooting, had ties to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and posted videos on social media ranting about a mass shooting by a Black man there and criticizing New York Mayor Eric Adams’ stance on crime and homelessness in subways.
James was arrested in New York City on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, a day after the shooting, police said. Authorities believe he rented a U-Haul van they recovered in Brooklyn shortly after the shooting. That van’s key was found at the shooting scene, they said in a news conference. Police initially called James a person of interest, but the mayor later upgraded him to a suspect.
The gunman, who was wearing a green construction-style vest and helmet, shot 10 people, police said. Another 13 were wounded in the chaos, that occurred when he detonated a smoke grenade inside a busy subway car on the morning of April 12, 2022, and then opened fire with a .9mm handgun. All victims are expected to survive. The motive is not clear.
In October 2021, James wrote on Facebook, “I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.” The Facebook page, which is in another name, but contains photos and YouTube video frames linked to him by NYPD, also contains this photo:
He shared that body bag photo several other times with different captions, including, “Better late than never – payback” and “hurt people kill people – please don’t hurt me” and “it’s never to late to say I love you – only death could stop me.”
Here’s what you need to know about Frank James’ social media and his ties to Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
James Shared a YouTube Video About Crime in the New York Subway System
On YouTube, James shared a video in the name “prophet oftruth88” about a slashing and recent violent crimes in the New York subway. The Pix11 news story featured at the beginning of the YouTube video discussed New York Mayor Eric Adams being questioned about rising crime in the subways and homeless people.
“Here we go again,” James said.
The video then segues into an extended rant featuring photos of people on a screen behind James. He said the people pictured (they aren’t named) were supposed to be helping him but made him “more dangerous.” He criticized Adams, saying “these are the people” he wants to send out to help the homeless. He said most mentally ill homeless people are Black. He ranted about a place called “Bridgeway” and homosexuals.
“They made me worse,” he said without naming the people. The video is dated March 1, 2022. It’s titled “TOLD YOU SO.”
He also shared videos talking about Will Smith.
James Ranted About White People in a Video That Discussed the Molson Coors Mass Shooting in Milwaukee
Frank James, 62, has ties to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, police confirmed. James’ social media accounts indicate he lived in Milwaukee. Authorities believe the U-Haul was rented in Philadelphia.
Another YouTube video showed James driving, saying he was on his way to Philadelphia. That video is called STOP ONE COMPLETE, and it’s dated March 20, 2022. He described it as the “first leg” of his trip. Authorities believe the U-Haul was rented in Philadelphia.
He said he had left the state of Wisconsin to embark on the trip. And he said, “good riddance.” He added, “a ghetto is a f****** ghetto.”
“Only in Milwaukee,” he said in a video that showed a vehicle that crashed into a light pole during the afternoon. “You gotta watch yo back in this town…” When you come to Milwaukee, he said, “you better have eyes behind your head.”
He wrote, “black people were once the human form of an ENERGY SLAVE in this country we did the (actual work) that white people should have did, today we have machines who’s energy is provided by COAL, OIL, NATURAL GAS AND NUCLEAR.”
In another YouTube video, James shared television news reports of a previous mass shooting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at Molson Coors. In that video, James talked about the Molson Coors shooter, Anthony Ferrill, who was Black, saying that gunman was “discriminated against” and “no one say and do sh*t” until he started shooting people. “And I’ve dealt with it time and time again.” He said he was a machinist, calling it the most “racist” trade in the country. He said there were a “bunch of racist white mother f******” in that trade.
“The vast majority of people, white mother******* are racist,” he says in that video.
Wisconsin court records show no criminal history in that state for Frank R. James. Online court records tie him to an address on S. 19th St. in Milwaukee at one time.
James’ Facebook Page Shared Photos of Guns & Gave Some Biographical Information
Heavy has confirmed that Frank James had a Facebook page in the name Frank Whitaker. The page contains images of guns.
On Facebook, posted a photo of Kyle Rittenhouse, with the caption “and a child shall lead them.” Rittenhouse shot three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, but he was acquitted by a jury of criminal wrongdoing. Another photo he shared showed George W. Bush in the mouth of a clown. Another graphic read, Black labor, white wealth. Another post read, “Black nationalism is black unity.”
In January 2022, he shared a post about two New York police officers who were shot and wrote, “NYPD under attack dam shame.” Some of his posts criticized former President Donald Trump. He also posted quotes and photos of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Tupac Shakur, Bill Cosby and more. Many of his posts dealt with race and racial discrimination.
He wrote on Facebook, that he “made a series of personal blogs in the early 2000’s that I entitled I THINK I THOUGHT, there are over 250 recordings in this series that I have upload to my youtube channel WFJFU RADIO.” he posted several pictures of people covered with dust on September 11, 2001.
In April, he shared a YouTube video headlined “12-year-old boy eating in car shot and killed in NYC.” He shared a video of the Will Smith-Chris Rock slap, captioning it, “EXTREME PROFANITY.”
In 2014, he wrote, Just cuckoo…no cocoa puffs.” He shared posts about gas prices and the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. One of his posts was anti-gay. He wrote, “love thy neighbor. He’s gay, nevermind.”
“I am a firm believer in you don’t know what you can or can’t do until you try,” he wrote.
The page said he worked at “Lucent Technologies,” went to Argus Community, lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was from the Bronx, New York. He’s listed as single. He last shared a memory on April 8, 2022.
He shared this photo:
The Shooter’s Gun Jammed, Preventing Further Mayhem
Latest on NYC subway shooting incident starting in minutes at 4PM on @NBCPhiladelphia @CydneyLongNBC10 is live in Brooklyn. Law enforcement sources tell @NBCNewYork this is photo of bag believed left in subway by suspect — with smoke canisters and fireworks. @tracydavidson
Heavy has also uncovered a Facebook page used by Frank James. It contains images of guns and comments on current events, like gas prices, Will Smith, and crime. The page, in the name Frank Whitaker, says that James lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is from the Bronx, New York.
The New York Post reported that the suspect’s gun jammed, preventing further carnage. However, the gunman toted a host of other disturbing items with him, police said, including smoke grenades, two of which he detonated, and three extended magazines. He fired at least 33 times, New York police officials said in an evening news conference on April 12, 2022.
Hourari Benkada, 27, told CNN that he was sitting next to the suspect and was shot in the knee. He described the shooting as lasting two minutes. According to the New York Daily News, the gunman told people to “start running” before opening fire, and said, “Oops, my bad” after detonating a smoke bomb.
Witnesses and police described a terrifying scene in which the gunman began randomly shooting at people in a busy subway train car, after detonating smoke grenades that soon filled the air.
“When [the train] was about to hit 36th Street, we stopped for 5 minutes. He takes out a gas mask from one of his little luggage[s],” a witness told The Post.
“He opened one of his gas tanks, and he said, ‘Oops, my bad.’ He pulls out an ax, he drops it, he takes a gun out, he starts shooting.”
“He started firing randomly into the crowd,” witness Catherine Garcia, 34, told The Daily News. “He probably couldn’t see, because it was black smoke. We just prayed and hoped that he would not just execute us one by one.”
In a press conference in the evening, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said, “We are truly fortunate that this was not significantly worse than it was.” She said the gunman opened two canisters that dispensed smoke throughout the subway car. The latest update was that 10 people were wounded by gunfire.
Authorities recovered a .9mm semiautomatic handgun, extended magazines, a hatchet, gasoline, consumer grade fireworks, and a fuse at the scene. She confirmed that authorities also located a U-Haul van believed to be connected to the suspect, and they don’t know his motivation.
GRAPHIC VIDEO: This is the scene at a New York City subway station in Brooklyn after 6 people shot and explosives found
“He clearly boarded the train and was intent on violence,” she said.
The FBI and ATF were at the press conference. She described the gunman as a “dark-skinned male” wearing a vest. Frank James was described as a person of interest.
A police commander said seven males and three females were shot, and 13 other people were injured from smoke inhalation, falling down or panic attacks. He said the gunman was seated in the second car in the rear corner and was wearing an “orange green nylon type construction vest,” gray hoodie, neon green construction helmet, and mask.
Witnesses say he opened up two smoke grenades, tossed them on the floor, brandished a Glock .9mm handgun, fired at least 33 times, striking 10 people, and then fled the scene. Detectives are actively trying to determine whereabouts.
Police found three extended Glock-type magazines, the Glock, a magazine still in the weapon, one in the backpack and one under the seat, 33 discharged shell casings, 15 bullets, five bullet fragments, two detonated smoke grenades and two non-detonated smoke grenades, police said in the news conference. He also had a black milk crate style rolling cart and gasoline. Authorities said they found a U-Haul key that led them to the recovery of the U-Haul van in Brooklyn. They believe James rented the vehicle, releasing his name as Frank R. James.
Speaking in an earlier news conference, Sewell described the attack as a “violent incident” on the Manhattan-bound N line.
Sewell ensured the public there are “no known explosive devices on our subway trains and this is not being investigated as an act of terrorism at this time.”
This is insane. The bomb squad just got here. They are looking for the suspect and believe he is hiding in this area. #Brooklyn
The commissioner said the gunman, just before 8:24 a.m., “donned what appeared to be a gas mask. He then took a canister out of his bag and opened it. The train at that time began to fill with smoke. He then opened fire, striking multiple people on the subway and in the platform.”
She described him as a “male, black,” about 5 foot 5 inches tall, with a heavy build, wearing a green “construction type vest” and a gray hooded sweatshirt.
JUST IN: Authorities say the shooting at a Brooklyn subway station Tuesday morning is not being investigated as an act of terrorism. There are also no victims with life-threatening injuries. Officials are still looking for the suspect.
The New York Post reported that the suspect was hauling items around in a “rolling milk crate-type carrier.” He also had hatchet and fireworks, Daily News reported, adding that he shot people ages 17 to 49.
“Investigators believe they have identified man who rented U-Haul linked to Brooklyn subway shooting suspect. They say van was driven from PA to NY yesterday. Police also told Jon that the man has a criminal record…ties to NY, PA and Wisconsin,” News4 journalist Natalie Pasquarella wrote on Twitter. She said reporter Jonathan Dienst obtained the information from sources.
CNN reported that authorities identified the suspect from a credit card he left at the scene. However, the NYPD said they identified him from the U-Haul key left at the scene.
Crime in New York – and in the subway – has been a growing concern.
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