Posted on: July 23, 2025 12:55 PM

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Brooklyn man sentenced to 10 years in prison for rush hour subway shooting that injured two passengers

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison following his guilty plea to attempted murder for opening fire inside a crowded subway car during the evening rush hour, striking two passengers.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This was a terrifying act of gun violence that endangered dozens of commuters and left two people injured. Firing multiple shots on a packed train showed a blatant disregard for human life, and this sentence holds the defendant accountable for his actions. We remain committed to ensuring public safety and delivering justice for victims.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Alexander Villafana, 22, of Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Eugene Guarino to 10 years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder on April 8, 2025.

The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on November 28, 2023, at approximately 5:35 p.m., the defendant was inside a crowded northbound C train approaching the Ralph Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant when he got into a verbal altercation with a 17-year-old boy. The dispute escalated, and the defendant pulled out a gun and fired several shots, one of which struck the teen in the hand. As a 52-year-old passenger fled to an adjacent train car, he was struck in the ankle. A 9mm shell casing and fired bullets were recovered from the subway car.

The teenage victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he underwent treatment for fractures to both hands. The older victim was taken to Kings County Hospital, where a bullet fragment was removed from his fractured ankle.

Following the shooting, the defendant fled to Pennsylvania and changed his appearance. The Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended him at his home in Brooklyn on December 12, 2023.

From DA