Why No One Died When a Gunman Opened Fire on the Subway

The kind of malfunction that occurred is named a “double feed,” in accordance with the senior regulation enforcement official, which happens when the gun’s extractor fails to take away a spent casing. The following spherical is pulled from the journal however can’t go ahead as a result of it’s blocked by the casing, in accordance with Lenny Magill, founder and chief govt of Glock Retailer, a Nashville-based firm that sells and distributes Glock elements and equipment on-line.

Such malfunctions can occur when a gun’s inner mechanisms are clogged with dust, or when {a magazine} is connected that’s not suitable with the handgun, Mr. Magill stated. (Mr. James’s high-capacity magazines weren’t made by Glock, in accordance with the senior regulation enforcement official.)

The handgun was on its fourth proprietor, in accordance with the regulation enforcement official. It was bought new in Texas in 2006 and resold in Georgia, then in Massachusetts, after which lastly to Mr. James, who purchased it legally in Columbus, Ohio, in 2011.

The way in which the gunman fired the Glock may additionally have spared lives. A number of victims, like Hourari Benkada, 27, who stated he was sitting subsequent to the gunman on the N prepare on the time of the assault, have been shot of their decrease limbs. Mr. Benkada advised CNN {that a} bullet had gone by means of the again of his knee.

Rudy Pérez, 20, a development employee, was struck in his left leg. The situation of the accidents, within the decrease elements of victims’ our bodies, might point out that the person was taking pictures from his hip, preserving the gun low, Mr. Magill stated, and thus throwing off his goal.

“Fortunately he wasn’t a talented particular person with a gun,” Mr. Magill added.

A lot of victims have been handled for smoke inhalation from the gadgets the gunman detonated. The gadgets stuffed the prepare automotive with vapor as passengers coated their faces and fought to breathe. That fog could have additionally saved lives, Detective DiGiacomo stated, by stopping the attacker from seeing his personal victims clearly.

“He ignited these canisters that made it troublesome for even him to see,” he stated.

That nobody was killed could have come as a shock to the person who the police say was behind the taking pictures. The day earlier than the assault, Mr. James posted a video on-line during which he stated he had typically wished to kill. He added that he wished he might “watch individuals die” proper in entrance of him.

However even after the chaos and carnage of Tuesday morning, nobody would die.

Michael Gold, Ali Watkins, Ashley Wong and Karen Zraick contributed reporting.