Man Shot Dead In Queens Subway Station Over Argument As Crime Continues To Soar Even Under New LOW IQ Mayor

JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- An argument in a Queens subway mezzanine turned deadly as a young man became the latest victim of gun violence in the city.

A 24-year-old man, identified as Brooklyn resident Marcus Bethea, was shot to death inside Jamaica Center Monday just as rush hour began.

Trains rolled into the bustling transportation hub and right into a crime scene.

"It was terrifying you know," witness Tamar Spears said. "I heard the gunshots and I heard the commotion everybody starts running out of the train station it was honestly scary."

Police responded to shots fired near the Archer Avenue/Parsons subway station around 4:30 p.m.

When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound to his chest.

The victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators say the suspect approached the victim, who was standing near the ticket booth, and a verbal dispute started between the two.

That dispute quickly escalated to a physical fight before the suspect pulled out a gun and fired five shots.

"We're trying to determine what initiated this dispute between these two males that lead to the fight that lead to the shooting," Chief of Transit Jason Wilcox said at a press conference Monday night. "There's a host of things we're doing in the transit system one of them is enhanced presence and visibility another one is uniformed train patrollers, effective enforcement, greater attention to quality of life."

This incident happened hours after the NYPD said stabbings and slashings in transit were up more than 70% year over year.