Hip-hop star-turned-MTA conductor feels ‘shell-shocked’ after NYC subway shooting

Joshua Rhett Miller
·5 min read
collage of doc ice aka fred reeves
collage of doc ice aka fred reeves

The conductor of a packed Brooklyn train where an unhinged passenger was shot in the head with his own gun during a rush-hour attack said he no longer feels safe on the job.

Fred Reeves, 58, can’t escape harrowing images and sounds from the chaotic clash between two subway riders while he was at the helm of an express A train as it pulled into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn streets station.

“I am shellshocked,” Reeves, of East Flatbush in Brooklyn, told The Post Saturday. “Like, my nerves are just through the roof.”

MTA conductor Fred Reeves, 58, (right) called for more cops aboard subway trains in the aftermath of the harrowing incident. Peter Gerber
MTA conductor Fred Reeves, 58, (right) called for more cops aboard subway trains in the aftermath of the harrowing incident. Peter Gerber

Reeves, better known as rapper “Doc Ice” from legendary Brooklyn hip-hop groups UTFO and Whodini, said he immediately sprang into action Thursday upon seeing distressed riders as the train neared the Hoyt-Schermerhorn streets station.

Panicked passengers started rushing toward Reeves’ car, frantically knocking on the door as the conflict between Younece Obuad and an unhinged DaJuan Robinson escalated to gunfire.

Gun-toting straphanger Robinson, 36, instigated a fight with Obuad, 32, by wrongly slamming him for being a migrant — before the two came to blows.

A woman, believed to be Obuad’s girlfriend, then stabbed Robinson in the back, video shows.

Robinson then got out his weapon before Obuad wrestled the gun away and shot him four times, leaving him in critical condition.

As terrified riders raced towards him and motioned to the emergency brake, Reeves partly opened the hatch, he recalled.

“You know, I’m thinking it was a fight, because we have fights on the trains,” Reeves said. “They wanted to pull it, but I was like, ‘Don’t pull it, if you pull that valve, we will be stuck in the station.”

Reeves is better known as rapper “Doc Ice” from Brooklyn hip-hop groups UTFO and Whodini. Shown here with Corey Feldman during a 2016 appearance on the “TODAY” show. Courtesy of Fred Reeves
Reeves is better known as rapper “Doc Ice” from Brooklyn hip-hop groups UTFO and Whodini. Shown here with Corey Feldman during a 2016 appearance on the “TODAY” show. Courtesy of Fred Reeves

Reeves, who started working as a subway conductor in 2018, told riders to remain calm and not to pull the emergency brake since cops would be at the station, he recalled.

“So, I closed the door, and I’m talking to my supervisors: ‘This is 16-18, apple, Lefferts, 2-7, coming into Hoyt-Schermerhorn, we need police and emergency service,’” Reeves said. “I’m thinking it was fight because the people flooded my position because it’s in my car but not my cab.”

Seconds later, Reeves heard multiple shots.

The train had just pulled into the station.

DaJuan Robinson, 36, who allegedly started harassing another passenger, was shot in the head with his own gun.
DaJuan Robinson, 36, who allegedly started harassing another passenger, was shot in the head with his own gun.

“You just hear, ‘bow, bow, bow,’” he recalled. “And man, I ducked and dipped to the other side. I then opened the doors and people flooded out, screaming and crying. And then I look, and I see the guy is on the floor.”

Cops responded to the scene with guns drawn.

A frantic passenger tried to get Reeves to let a young girl inside his cab during the commotion, but he declined to do so, citing MTA policy.

Reeves started worked as a subway conductor in 2018, he told The Post Saturday. Courtesy of Fred Reeves
Reeves started worked as a subway conductor in 2018, he told The Post Saturday. Courtesy of Fred Reeves

“And you could see the fear on their faces,” he said. “I said, ‘I can’t do that.’ So, once I closed the door and then hear the gunshots and see people running and screaming, the first thing that comes to mind is this little girl.

“And I’m like, ‘Wow, what if it was my children on the train?’” Reeves said. “It just felt like [I was in] a helpless place, where you couldn’t do nothing for nobody. But I got the train in the station, opened up the doors and let the cops do what they got to do to keep these people safe.”

Reeves, a married father of six, said he no longer feels safe on the job.

“Bullets don’t have no name,” he said. “And this ain’t no bulletproof cab, so I got to duck down and hope that the person is not shooting anywhere. You don’t know what the situation is — they could’ve just been shooting at anybody.”

Reeves, a father of six, said he’s unclear when he’ll return to work in the aftermath of the harrowing incident. Courtesy of Fred Reeves
Reeves, a father of six, said he’s unclear when he’ll return to work in the aftermath of the harrowing incident. Courtesy of Fred Reeves

He tried to stay as low as possible while guiding the train into the station.

“It’s not a safe place, especially for a conductor. We’re in the center of everything,” he said.

Reeves called for more cops in the subways.

“Maybe if they would patrol the train for the whole duration, that might bring a lot more safety to us as conductors, as well as passengers,” said Reeves, who said he has “faith they’re going to rectify” the dangers.

“When they’re seen, especially in numbers, people think before they act, even if they may have a weapon,” he said.

Passengers on the train during Thursday’s shooting, including a young girl, frantically tried to enter the conductor’s cab, Reeves told The Post Saturday. Paul Martinka
Passengers on the train during Thursday’s shooting, including a young girl, frantically tried to enter the conductor’s cab, Reeves told The Post Saturday. Paul Martinka

He doesn’t know when he’ll be back on the job.

“I’m not sure, because this situation reoccurs in my head constantly,” he said, recalling the girl who wanted inside his cab during the harrowing moments. “There’s just this burning image of her in my head.”