BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to opening fire on a crowded subway train during rush hour, injuring two passengers, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Alexander Villafana, 22, of Cypress Hills, was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Eugene Guarino after admitting to second-degree attempted murder. The shooting occurred on November 28, 2023, aboard a northbound C train approaching the Ralph Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
According to prosecutors, Villafana got into a verbal dispute with a 17-year-old passenger before pulling out a firearm and firing multiple rounds. The teen was struck in the hand. A 52-year-old man attempting to escape to another car was hit in the ankle.
Both victims were hospitalized and treated for their injuries. A 9mm shell casing and fired bullets were recovered from the scene.
Villafana fled to Pennsylvania after the incident and altered his appearance, but was later apprehended at his Brooklyn residence by the Regional Fugitive Task Force on December 12, 2023.
“This was a terrifying act of gun violence that endangered dozens of commuters and left two people injured,” said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
A Brooklyn man who fired multiple shots on a packed subway train has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after injuring two passengers.
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