Man Fatally Shot On 7 Train Platform In Queens

A man was fatally shot in the head during a melee on a Queens subway platform on Sunday afternoon, and the shooter remains at large. Police say the shooting occurred around 12:40 p.m. at the 90th Street and Elmhurst Avenue subway station in Elmhurst. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and has not been publicly identified; police say he was between 20-30 years old.

Graphic video taken by a bystander shows the fight and shooting. (Warning: the video below is graphic.)

The video shows two men in hoodies beating the victim, who wore a blue jacket, as others try to break up the fight. Police say it's unclear if the men knew each other prior to the incident. Investigators are searching for two men.

It was the first homicide in the subway system in over a year. NYC Transit President Andy Byford said in a statement, "I want people to know that despite this beyond-horrifying incident which is under active investigation, the subway is remarkably safe, both generally as a public space as well as relative to other modes of transport such as driving.”

The NY Times reports today that transit crimes have increased 3.8 percent last year.

The man who recorded the video, Bidur Bista, said that people on the platform were imploring a city transit worker to intervene in the fight. According to Bista, the worker refused; Bista tells the NY Times, "He probably could get that gun in his hand and that person would not have lost his life."

The NYPD released this security camera footage of the suspected shooter: