Mayor Eric Adams is in talks with state officials about installing weapon “scanners” at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in the wake of this weekend’s horrific subway shooting.
Adams told reporters at a press conference Monday that doing gun sweeps at the Midtown Manhattan bus terminal could help prevent shootings before they happen.
“We’re trying now to negotiate with the Port Authority to allow us to place scanners at the bus terminal because many of these guns are coming from the South into our city, so we have to stop the flow of these guns,” Adams said.
Adams did not elaborate on what type of “scanners” he would like to see at the Port Authority, but he has for weeks advocated for installing gun detection technology in the subway system that’s akin to airport-style security checks.
Mayoral spokesman Fabien Levy declined to share any additional details, only saying that there are “ongoing” conversations with Port Authority brass.
Port Authority rep Amber Greene confirmed the same.
“We are actively collaborating with city and state law enforcement partners and will continue to explore all appropriate technologies that can improve safety and security of the traveling public,” Greene said.
Adams’ push for a Port Authority crackdown comes after Daniel Enriquez, a 48-year-old Goldman Sachs analyst, was fatally shot while sitting in the last car of a Manhattan-bound Q train while on his way to brunch Sunday morning. The shooting was completely unprovoked, according to police officials, and the gunman remained on the lam Monday afternoon.
“It is the worst nightmare,” Adams said. “I use the subways a lot. I’m in the system a lot, and it’s unimaginable. You’re sitting down, going to brunch, going to visit a family member, a person walks up to you and shoots you for no reason.”
The senseless shooting comes just weeks after another gunman, Frank James, fired 33 bullets into a crowded N train in Brooklyn, leaving 23 people wounded.
The unsettling subway violence has ramped up political pressure on Adams, who made public safety the centerpiece of his campaign last year.
At Monday’s press conference, Adams still touted his crimefighting agenda as successful, citing a slight drop in shootings across the city last month as compared with April 2021.
“I thank God I’m the mayor right now, and not those that don’t understand the urgency of this moment,” he said.
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Clayton Guse contributed to this report.
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