Governor Hochul: "This morning, ordinary New Yorkers woke up in anticipation of a relatively normal day. They left their homes, en route to school, en route to their jobs... That sense of tranquility and normalness was brutally disrupted by an individual so cold hearted and depraved of heart that they had no caring about the individuals that they assaulted as they simply went about their daily lives."
Hochul: "I thank the partners, the brave people at the MTA, the first ones who had the sense, the drivers of the train, to leave the station to make sure no more victims could be hurt. The NYPD, FDNY, State Police, everyone involved in this has one purpose, and that is to stop the insanity of these crimes."
Good afternoon. This morning, ordinary New Yorkers woke up in anticipation of a relatively normal day. They left their homes, en route to school, en route to their jobs, and to a normal day, as I mentioned. That sense of tranquility and normalness was brutally disrupted by an individual so cold hearted and depraved of heart that they had no caring about the individuals that they assaulted as they simply went about their daily lives.
This individual is still on the loose. This person is dangerous. We're asking individuals to be very vigilant and alert. You will get more reports on specificity as the day goes on.
So this is an active shooter situation right now in the city of New York. I just got off the phone with the Mayor. He is recovering well, he is monitoring, he is actively engaged in the situation. I wanted to let him know that the people of the entire state of New York stand with the people of this city, this community, and we say no more. No more mass shootings, no more disrupting lives, no more creating heartbreak for people just trying to live their lives as normal New Yorkers. It has to end and it ends now.
And we are sick and tired of reading headlines about crime, whether they're mass shootings or the loss of a teenage girl or a 13 year old. It has to stop. I'm committing the full resources of our state to fight this surge of crime, this insanity that is seizing our city, because we want to get back to normal. It has been a long, hard two years. That's what we crave - that sense of stability and normalcy. And this is what the Mayor and I are going to continue to work toward.
And I thank the partners, the brave people at the MTA, the first ones who had the sense, the drivers of the train, to leave the station to make sure no more victims could be hurt. The NYPD, FDNY, State Police, everyone involved in this has one purpose, and that is to stop the insanity of these crimes. You'll hear now from our fire department. I want to thank them for being there to help us defuse a volatile situation, but we will be giving continued reports as this day unfolds.
Again, we ask everyone to be careful, be cautious, report what you see. It is likely that someone out there listening to this is going to help lead us to that individual. You have a description of what they're wearing, you know the details. But this is the day we pull together as New Yorkers, united in a common purpose to say no more.
And that is what I'm going to continue to do, as the Governor of the state of New York, working with our local partners right here. Thank you.
