New York City police Sunday identified the man shot and killed during a confrontation at a Midtown subway station. Darrel Rodriguez, 26, of University Heights in The Bronx, was prounced dead at Bellevue Hospital after he was mortally wounded Saturday, shortly before 12:30 PM. Officer increased patrols in Manhattan subways after the killing at the West 53rd St./7th Ave station. Investigators are asking for the public’s help to find the gunman. Officers were seen walking the platform, where the D, B and E trains stop. Some subway passengers ducked for cover during Saturday’s deadly shooting at an MTA station in Midtown. (Image obtained by NBC New York) Authorities said the shooting was not random and began with a fight between the killer and Rodriguez on the platform. Police said the fight at some point drifted into a subway car and then back out onto the platform, but it was not clear exactly where the shooting happened. The NYPD continued searching for this man Sunday after a deadly shooting on a Midtown subway platform. (Image: NBC New York via NYPD) Police said the suspect, described as wearing a red track suit, pulled out a gun and fired. “It’s very sad. The city has become very dangerous especially here in midtown,” subway rider Franklin Lovato told NBC New York. One rider described hearing multiple shots and seeing people rush out of the station. “We had just gotten in there we were sitting down… all of a sudden, I heard a shot… there was a mass exodus. Everyone started running out, and there was at least three more.” Rider advocates condemned the violence, saying the encounter was too close to hundreds of riders in the middle of the day. “Our elected officials, our city, everyone has failed us and you know who’s suffering? All these poor riders like me, said Charlton D’Souza of Passengers United. D’Souza said he would like to see the MTA ban face coverings in the subway that are clearly not intended for medical purposes. “Yesterday’s incident — the guy had a face covering — you couldn’t really see him. And so that’s a big issue and it’s making it hard obviously for NYPD to do their job.” An MTA subway station entrance at West 53rd St. and 7th Ave. was sealed off Saturday afternoon (Image: NBC New York) Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public may also submit tips online at Crime Stoppers website or via X @NYPDTips. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less