Survivor of NYC subway shooting says he was shot while shielding a pregnant woman
Hourari Benkada, who was shot in the New York City subway shooting Tuesday morning, appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 to speak about the terrifying and chaotic ordeal. Bankada said he was seated next to the man who would eventually release two smoke bombs and open fire on the rush hour commuters. Like everyone else in the subway car, Benkada had originally tried to get away, that is until he found himself next to a pregnant woman.
“All you see is smoke, black smoke bomb going off, and then people bum rushing to the back. This pregnant woman was in front of me. I was trying to help her,” Benkada said. “I didn’t know there were shots at first, I just thought it was a black smoke bomb. She said, ‘I’m pregnant with a baby.’ I hugged her, and then the bum rush continued. I got pushed, and that’s when I got shot in the back of my knee.”
Benkada later elaborated on the attempts to escape the shooter as he reportedly fired off 33 rounds.
“It’s an old style train, you can’t switch cars.” Benkada said. “Somebody broke the first door down and the second door was really hard to break, and I was just focused on the pregnant woman. And that’s when I got struck in the leg, man. I was just on my way to work.”
Video Transcript
HOURARI BENKADA: All you see is like the smoke-- black smoke bomb going off. And then-- and then people bum rushing to the back. This pregnant woman was in front of me. I was trying to help her. I didn't know there were shots at first. I just thought it was a black smoke bomb.
KYLIE MAR: On "Anderson Cooper 360" Tuesday, John Berman spoke to Hourari Benkada who was shot when a gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire on a New York City subway during morning rush hour. Benkada said he was shot while trying to shield a pregnant woman as chaos erupted around him.
HOURARI BENKADA: She said, I'm pregnant with a baby. I hugged her. And then the bum rush continued. I got pushed, and that's when I got shot in the back of my knee. Somebody broke the first door down, and the second door was really hard to break. And I was just focused on the pregnant woman, and that's when I got struck in the leg, man.
KYLIE MAR: Benkada said he was seated next to the shooter before the incident but couldn't say whether or not it was 62-year-old Frank James who the NYPD has named as a person of interest.
JOHN BERMAN: I know you have seen the picture. Does it look like the man you sat next to?
HOURARI BENKADA: I'm not really sure, man. I haven't-- I wasn't able to see his face. He had a mask on.
