In a high-profile case that shocked New York City, Frank James, a 64-year-old man, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for his involvement in a mass shooting that took place on a Manhattan-bound subway train in April 2022. The shooting left 10 people wounded and triggered a citywide manhunt.

James had pleaded guilty earlier this year to terrorism charges related to the attack. Prosecutors argued that he had meticulously planned the shooting in order to "inflict maximum damage." They pushed for a life sentence for James, highlighting the severity of his crime.

However, James' defense attorneys requested a reduced sentence of 18 years, citing his lack of intent to kill and his serious mental illness. They argued that James suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and did not have the capacity to fully understand the consequences of his actions. Prior to the sentencing, three witnesses who were present during the attack addressed the court.

One of the witnesses, 21-year-old Fatim Gjeloshi, who had managed to escape the shooting unharmed, initially expressed forgiveness towards James. However, overcome with emotion, he broke down in tears and left the courtroom. James himself also had the opportunity to speak and used the platform to criticize the nation's mental health system and social safety net, claiming that it had failed both him and others battling mental illness and poverty.

During the attack, James, disguised as a construction worker, strategically chose a moment when the train was between stations, preventing his targets from fleeing. He then set off smoke bombs and opened fire with a 9 mm handgun, causing panic among the passengers in the crowded subway car. The attack took place as the train arrived at a station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and the victims, ranging in age from 16 to 60, sustained various injuries.

Remarkably, no one was killed in the attack, which prosecutors attributed to luck rather than James' intentions. Following the shooting, James calmly exited the subway station and went into hiding. Authorities launched an extensive manhunt and identified James as a suspect using a key to a rented moving van that he had left behind on the bloodied subway car. He eventually turned himself in by calling a police tip line and was apprehended in Manhattan's East Village.

The incident left New Yorkers in shock and raised concerns about safety in the city's transit system. As a result, local officials implemented additional surveillance cameras and increased police presence on trains. Prior to the shooting, James, who is Black, had posted numerous videos online under the pseudonym "Prophet of Doom," where he ranted about race, violence, his struggles with mental illness, and his belief that unnamed forces were conspiring against him.

While James admitted his guilt to the terrorism charges, he claimed that he had only intended to cause serious bodily injury and not death. His defense attorney, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, argued that James may have initially planned to kill but changed his mind in the heat of the moment. Eisner-Grynberg emphasized James' abusive childhood, ongoing battles with alcoholism, and paranoid schizophrenia, stating that he was not inherently evil but severely ill.

However, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting that James deliberately targeted riders' "center mass" to maximize the lethality of his attack. They asserted that James only stopped firing his semi-automatic Glock pistol because it jammed. James has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center for the past 17 months.