Brooklyn Subway Shooter Promoted Racial Violence on Social Media

A man charged with shooting 10 people on a Brooklyn subway car on Tuesday has a history of racial animus and promoted a Nation of Islam leader, according to the New York Post.

Facebook posts by Frank James, who was arrested by New York City police on Wednesday, reveal the 62-year-old revered militant black figures, including Angela Davis, Malcolm X, and Elijah Muhammad. He frequently shared photos and video of guns and talked of violent retribution. In one post, he used his finger as a gun to pick off a car full of subway passengers. In another, he said the United States faced an approaching race war.

“It’s just a matter of time before these white motherfuckers decide, ‘Hey listen, enough is enough, these n—rs got to go,'” James said.

On his YouTube channel, James called himself a “Prophet of Truth,” often alluding to Biblical passages even as he called for violence against others. He celebrated the deaths of NYPD officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora, who were killed in Harlem in January as they responded to a domestic disturbance call. Thousands of fellow officers lined Fifth Avenue on the day of their funerals, along with civilians.

“NYPD under attack dam shame,” James said.

James also shared a photo of Kyle Rittenhouse following the Kenosha riots in August 2020. Rittenhouse, who was acquitted on all charges in November 2021, was accused by left-wing academics and pundits of fomenting a “race war” after he shot and killed two white men in self defense during the riots. Beneath the photo of Rittenhouse, James appeared to quote from the book of Isaiah to claim the shooting was racially motivated. “And a child should lead them,” he wrote.

James has a criminal record, including 9 misdemeanor arrests in New York and 3 in New Jersey, but no felony charges.

Federal prosecutors are looking to charge him with terrorism after he fired 33 rounds in a packed subway car during the morning commute. His gun jammed during the rampage, halting further violence. No one was killed, but 10 were shot and 19 others injured in the mayhem, including a pregnant woman.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases