Hourari Benkada was just your average 27-year-old New Yorker doing his regular morning commute one Tuesday morning from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan when something happened that would forever change the lives of everyone on board his train.
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Without warning, a man launched a violent assault on commuters using smoke bombs and bullets. New Yorkers have a bad reputation for being cynical and selfish. But, instead of looking out for himself, Hourari chose to protect a pregnant woman.
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The young man was one of 29 people who were injured after a gunman detonated a smoke grenade and opened fire on the N train in Brooklyn. The gunman, later identified by authorities as Frank James, was arrested the next day.
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James entered the train just before 8:30 AM and waited until the train left the 59th Stree station before throwing two smoke grenades. Moments later, James started shooting the passengers with a 9mm Glock handgun. He managed to get off 33 shots.
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Commuters desperately tried to escape the smoke-filled car as bullets continued to fly.
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According to Hourari, he was sitting next to the suspect, who was wearing an MTA vest while carrying a duffle bag with wheels.
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Once James tossed the smoke grenade, Hourari immediately took action.
“This pregnant woman was in front of me. I was trying to help her. I didn’t know if there were shots at first. I just thought it was a black smoke bomb,” he told CNN.
“She said ‘I’m pregnant with a baby.’ I hugged her and then the bum-rush continued,” he said. “I got pushed and that’s when I got shot in the back of my knee.”
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Benkada was one of only ten people to suffer gunshot wounds. Despite describing the experience as the “worst pain of my entire life,” Hourari focused everything on protecting the pregnant woman.
“I seen she had a belly … And when she seen the smoke she said ‘Oh my god I’m pregnant.’ That’s when I gave her a hug.”
BREAKING: The man suspected of shooting 10 people on a Brooklyn subway train Tuesday has been arrested, law enforcement officials tell @AP.
The rush-hour shooting injured 23; 10 were hit by gunfire. pic.twitter.com/nkaL1iXasi
— AJ+ (@ajplus) April 13, 2022
After the train reached the next stop, people spilled out of the cars, with those who were uninjured running out of the station while the wounded were attended to by other New Yorkers who decided to stay behind and rend first aid.
The following day the NYPD arrested James in connection with the vicious subway attack. The 62-year-old was arrested shortly after police received an anonymous tip from James himself on the Crime Stoppers hotline.
The 62-year-old man suspected of shooting 10 people on a subway train in Brooklyn on Tuesday has been arrested by patrol officers in New York's East Village. #9Today pic.twitter.com/K8k9PjPdwf
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) April 13, 2022
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Sources:
- “Man “hugged” pregnant woman to save her life as shooter opened fire on NY subway train” Todby.