Five to split $50,000 prize in NYC subway shooting case: NPR

Zack Tahhan, a witness who informed police about Frank James’ whereabouts, was interviewed after leaving Precinct 9, where James is currently in police custody in connection with Thursday’s shooting. Two in one subway station.

Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

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Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Zack Tahhan, a witness who informed police about Frank James’ whereabouts, was interviewed after leaving Precinct 9, where James is currently in police custody in connection with Thursday’s shooting. Two in one subway station.

Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Five people will share a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a subway shooting suspect, the New York Police Department announced Friday.

“Each of the five individuals took actions that, in accordance with the established Crime Prevention process, elevate them to be considered for a bounty,” officials said in a statement.

“The plan is for the aggregate reward of $50,000 – including contributions from the Police Foundation, MTA and TWU Local 100 – to be distributed equally among identified individuals,” they added.

Detectives used information from tippers to build a timeline of events leading up to Frank R. James’ arrest on Wednesday, 30 hours after he allegedly fired 33 bullets in a subway car, injuring 10 people.

The 62-year-old was surrounded by police in Manhattan’s East Village, where he was said to be standing at a kiosk charging his phone.

Police explained that they arrived in the neighborhood after receiving a tip that James had been at a nearby McDonald’s. Law enforcement officials reported various news outlets they believe James made the phone call himself.

One call to the NYPD Crime Stoppers was said to have someone say, “I think you’re looking for me. I see pictures of me all over the news, and I’ll be around this McDonald’s.” . according to for ABC News.

The NYPD did not disclose the names of those who will split the money, however, several individuals have publicly claimed ownership. Most notable was Zack Tahhan, a 21-year-old security camera technician who breathed a sigh of relief from reporters and passers-by when he spotted the shooting suspect walking down the street.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is the guy, we need to get him.’ He was walking down the street, I saw the police car, I said: ‘Yo, this is him!’ “Tahhan recounted.

Francisco Puebla, who actually hired Tahhan to install the cameras on Wednesday, also recognized James as he walked down the block of his store. He described the overwhelming feeling of panic when he saw the man. Puebla, said New York Times that he had knocked down a police officer who was driving past, telling him, “Police, I could be wrong but the guy who fired the gun is right in the middle of the block.”

Meanwhile, portrait artist Lee Vasu, speak Artnet, that he had just left the Mogador Café in St. Mark’s Place, with his mother, wife and 8-month-old daughter before James was discovered.

As they walked down First Avenue, he said he saw James’ recognizable face. “I was like: ‘What the hell?'”

“I said to my wife, ‘The subway shooter is right behind us. Hurry up. Push the baby. There’s no time to argue. Go away.”

Once they were safe, he said he went back to James’ side while reviewing the photo of the man on his phone, as he did in the days after the shooting.

“I’m looking at him like I’m drawing him,” he told the website. “As an artist, you have to study every facial feature. I looked at him for quite a while and half an hour later he was there. You can’t escape an artist in the East Village.”