Fact Check: "Six people died and 19 were wounded in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre."
What We Know
On December 7, 1993, a mass shooting occurred aboard a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train in Garden City Park, New York. The shooter, Colin Ferguson, opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol as the train approached the Merillon Avenue station. During the attack, six passengers were killed, and nineteen others were wounded before Ferguson was subdued by fellow passengers (Long Island Rail Road shooting, Gunman Kills 5 on L.I.R.R. Train; 19 Are Wounded). The victims ranged in age from 24 to 52, and the shooting was described as methodical, with Ferguson reportedly firing at passengers without warning (Long Island Rail Road shooting).
Analysis
The claim that "six people died and 19 were wounded" is supported by multiple credible sources. The Wikipedia entry on the Long Island Rail Road shooting confirms the death toll of six and the number of injuries as nineteen (Long Island Rail Road shooting). Similarly, a report from The New York Times on the day following the incident also states that five individuals died at the scene, with a sixth victim succumbing to injuries later, and confirms that 19 others were wounded (Gunman Kills 5 on L.I.R.R. Train; 19 Are Wounded).
Both sources are reliable; Wikipedia provides a comprehensive overview of the event, while The New York Times is a well-established news outlet known for its journalistic integrity. The consistency across these sources strengthens the reliability of the claim.
It is important to note that while some reports initially stated that five people were killed, they later clarified that a sixth victim died in the hospital days after the shooting, which aligns with the total of six fatalities mentioned in the claim (Long Island Rail Road shooting, Gunman Kills 5 on L.I.R.R. Train; 19 Are Wounded).
Conclusion
Verdict: True
The claim that "six people died and 19 were wounded in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre" is accurate. The evidence from multiple credible sources confirms that six individuals were killed and nineteen were injured during the tragic event.
