Arrest Made In Subway Death
By: NBC News
Updated: December 5, 2012
New York City police investigators have arrested a suspect accused of pushing another man into the path of an oncoming subway train on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Meanwhile, the photographer who took a controversial photo of the victim moments before he was hit by the train is defending his decision to take the picture.
Outrage over the death was compounded when the New York Post published the photo of the victim moments before the train hit him.
Umar Abassi, the freelance photographer who snapped the photo, went on the Today Show Wednesday to defend himself against critics who say he should've helped the victim, 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han, instead of taking the photo.
"I saw the light in the distance of the approaching train and the only thing I could think of at that time was to alert the driver of the train with my camera flash," Abassi said.
Abassi says he did start running toward the victim, but was fearful the man who pushed Han was running in his direction and might push him as well.
Abassi also says there were others closer to Han.
"There was no way I could have rescued Mr. Han," Abassi said. "What really surprises me is the people that were the people who were 100 ft or 150 ft from Mr. Han, they did not reach out to try to help him."
Abassi offered condolences to Han's family, and says he sold the photograph, but won't say for how much.
