![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/new-york-subway-shooting-prophet-of-doom-frank-James-life-in-jail-1-5000022.jpg?r=1696715190934\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A man who shot 10 people on a busy\u00a0New York subway train has been sentenced to life behind bars.<\/p>\n
Frank James, 64,\u00a0pleaded guilty earlier this year\u00a0to terrorism charges in the April 12, 2022, mass shooting aboard a Manhattan-bound train. He received a life sentence on 10 counts and 10 years for an 11th count of discharging a firearm during an act of violence.<\/p>\n
Three of his victims spoke in court of the physical and emotional pain they continue to experience more than a year after the attack in a packed subway car.<\/p>\n
They described the panic and the splattered blood on the train, and how they used their own clothes as tourniquets to stanch the bleeding from victims\u2019 wounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have not been able to make sense of it,\u201d said a young man identified as B.K. At times his voice cracked as he spoke and his eyes turned glassy from tears.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/new-york-subway-shooting-prophet-of-doom-frank-James-life-in-jail-2-5000024.jpg?r=1696715190992\")
<\/p>\n
Before the shooting, James posted dozens of videos online under the moniker \u201cProphet of Doom,\u201d ranting about race, violence, his struggles with mental illness and a host of unnamed forces he claimed were out to get him.<\/span><\/p>\n Another victim, a 51-year-old man identified as L.C., told the court he had post-traumatic stress disorder and thoughts of suicide.<\/p>\n L.C., who said he worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the time of the shooting, bought an e-bike to avoid riding trains.<\/p>\n When he regained his confidence and returned to the subway, he relived the horror of the shooting upon seeing a man wearing a vest similar to the one James had worn.<\/p>\n \u201cI immediately thought of you, Frank James,\u201d the victim said, his voice booming with anger.<\/p>\n Another victim, who later identified himself as Fitim Gjeloshi, 21, began to share his own story with words of forgiveness \u2014 \u201cI don\u2019t blame him. He needs help.\u201d \u2014 then began to sob.<\/p>\n Before the shooting, James, who is Black, posted dozens of videos online under the moniker \u201cProphet of Doom,\u201d ranting about race, violence, his struggles with mental illness and a host of unnamed forces he claimed were out to get him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t do this,\u201d he said, walking out of court. He later returned to hear the judge sentence James.<\/p>\n During his own 15-minute address to the court, James expressed contrition for his actions but criticized the country\u2019s mental health system, saying it had failed especially people of color like him.<\/p>\n But he said his was not a \u201csob story\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI alone am responsible and no one else for that attack,\u201d he said. He added that his violence was not due to animus toward any race or sexual orientation.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n U.S. District Court Judge William Kuntz told James that what he did was \u201cpure evil\u201d.<\/p>\n Prosecutors had asked for the life sentence, saying James spent years carefully planning the shooting in order to \u201cinflict maximum damage\u201d.<\/p>\n James\u2019 attorneys had asked for a reduced sentence of 18 years, saying he didn\u2019t intend to kill anyone and citing his mental illness.<\/p>\n Disguised as a construction worker on the day of the shooting last year, James waited until the train was between stations, denying his targets a chance to flee. Then he ignited multiple smoke bombs and unleashed a barrage of bullets from a 9 mm handgun at panicked riders.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/new-york-subway-shooting-prophet-of-doom-frank-James-life-in-jail-3-5000025.jpg?r=1696715191033\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/new-york-subway-shooting-prophet-of-doom-frank-James-life-in-jail-4-5000026.jpg?r=1696715191075\")
<\/p>\n