Out of fear of being mugged, which person shot four black teenagers on a subway in New York City in the mid- 1980's?

On a downtown express train in Manhattan on December 22, 1984, an electronics technician named Bernard Goetz was approached by four young Black men. After one of them asked him for five dollars, Goetz, who had been mugged on previous occasions, pulled out an unlicensed .38 caliber revolver and shot all four of them, paralyzing one for life. He claimed he was acting in self-defense, believing he was about to be robbed by the group.

The incident occurred during a time of high crime rates in New York City and instantly became a national news story, igniting a fierce debate about race, crime, and vigilantism. The media dubbed Goetz the "Subway Vigilante," and he became a polarizing figure. Many citizens, frustrated with crime, saw him as a hero who fought back. Others condemned his actions as a violent, racially motivated overreaction.

Ultimately, a grand jury indicted Goetz on charges of attempted murder and assault. While he was acquitted of the major charges, he was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon and served eight months in prison. A later civil suit found him liable for the lifelong injuries of one of the victims, ordering him to pay $43 million in damages. The case remains a powerful symbol of the urban anxieties and social tensions of the era.