Fatal Midtown Subway Shooting: NYPD Hunts Gunman as Community Mourns

Darryl Rodriguez, a 26-year-old security guard from the Bronx, was shot and killed on the northbound E train platform at the Seventh Avenue-53rd Street station around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday, October 17. He had no criminal record and was believed to be heading home from work when an argument with another man escalated. The confrontation began on the platform, moved onto a subway car, and returned to the platform before the gunman opened fire, shooting Rodriguez in the chest. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. The suspect fled north on Seventh Avenue and remained at large on Tuesday. Police described the suspect as wearing a red tracksuit, black vest, and black face mask. Rodriguez, a fraternal twin, was remembered by friends as quiet and non-confrontational. His older brother is serving in the military in Texas. The killing marked the seventh subway homicide and fourth fatal subway shooting in New York City in 2026. The NYPD urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.