- A banker who was killed on a subway avoided trains amid pandemic over health fears, his sister told the NYT.
- Daniel Enriquez, a Goldman Sachs banker, was shot in the chest on Sunday on a train, police said.
- Griselda Vile, Enriquez's sister, told the NYT that he was on his way to brunch.
The sister of Daniel Enriquez, a bank worker who was shot dead on the New York City subway, said her brother had avoided taking the train during most of the pandemic out of fear of getting ill, The New York Times reported.
Enriquez, who worked for Goldman Sachs for nine years, was shot in the chest on Sunday morning while traveling on the Q train bound for Manhattan, the New York City Police Department said in a news conference at Canal Street station.
Griselda Vile, one of Enriquez's three siblings, told The Times that he was making his way to brunch via the subway — something which he hadn't used in the pandemic because he was worried about his health, she added.
New York City subway ridership sank 60% in March 2020 from usual ridership levels because of the pandemic, The Metropolitan Transportation Agency said, reported by Insider's Graham Rapier.
A survey by NYU published in October 2020 found that 24% of New York City's bus and subway workers were infected with COVID-19, while 70% said they were scared about their safety at work.
Around one hour before Enriquez was shot, he asked his family via text about his parent's health and then text the relatives individually, Vile told The Times.
"It's horrific, this is a horror movie," Vile told The Times, adding that she feels scared about being in New York.
She told The Times that Enriquez, 48, was a "special, jovial guy."
The New York police said Enriquez and the gunman didn't have any interaction prior to the attack. So far, there have been no arrests after the suspect fled from the subway at Canal Street station, the police said.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said in a statement sent to Insider that Enriquez was a "beloved" employee who "epitomized our culture of collaboration and excellence."
Solomon described it as a "senseless tragedy" and sent the bank's sympathies to Enriquez's family.