ICYMI: Accused Midtown Killer Stalked Black Men, Planned Times Square Massacre

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — James Jackson, a white Army veteran intent on killing a black person with a sword, traveled by bus from Baltimore to New York City because he calculated "the media capital of the world" was his best bet at drawing proper attention to such a crime, police said.

An investigation indicates that Jackson may have stalked other potential victims, and that the killing of 66-year-old Timothy Caughman may have been "practice" for a Times Square massacre.

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In the days leading up to Monday night's fatal stabbing of 66-year-old Timothy Caughman, Jackson had followed another black man and approached the potential victim "purposefully" but did not attack, investigators told the Associated Press. Jackson also considered carrying out further attacks after slaying Caughman but was deterred by seeing his picture in news reports, the AP reported.

Jackson confessed to police that since arriving in New York on March 17 he had stalked other black men on before killing Caughman, according to a criminal complaint. Jackson also told police that Cuaghman's killing was "practice" and that he was planning on going to Times Square to kill more black victims.

Jackson is facing murder charges for stabbing Caughman with a 26-inch sword with an 18-inch blade near West 36th Street and Ninth Avenue on Monday night, police said. The second-degree murder charge was upgraded to a hate crime Thursday, according to the criminal complaint.

Police released an image Tuesday of the suspect wearing a black coat and walking away from the scene of the stabbing. Around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr. Jackson had turned himself in to officers stationed on Times Square.

“It is believed he was specifically intending to target male blacks. It’s been well over 10 years that he has been harboring his hate towards blacks,” NYPD Assistant Chief William Aubrey said during a Wednesday press conference.

Jackson's told police that his anger stemmed from black men mixing with white women, according to a criminal complaint.

Aubrey said that Jackson chose to come to New York, "the media capital of the world," to "make a statement."

The victim survived the initial stabbing and was able to walk into the Midtown South Precinct station house on West 35th Street while suffering from wounds to his back and chest, police said. EMS responders transported the man from the precinct to Bellevue hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito released a statement connecting Jackson's arrest with a rise in hate crimes following the campaign that led to the election of President Donald Trump.

Hate crimes have increased in nine metropolitan areas since the campaign, and New York has reported the largest number — 380, a 24 percent increase from 2015, according to Brian Levin, a researcher at the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

"The arrest of James Harris Jackson, a white supremacist who reportedly traveled to New York City intent on ‘murdering black people’ is deeply disturbing and indicative of a greater divide in our country which Donald Trump has only made worse," Mark-Viverito said in a statement.

"There is simply no place for hate or intolerance in our City. The Council will continue to work around the clock in close partnership with the NYPD, public safety officials and the Administration as we keep New York City safe, welcoming and secure for all those who live here."

Levin said his research indicates that by highlighting issues such as race, religion and national origin, the presidential election campaign could have influenced both the number of incidents and frequency of reporting them to police.

"That, coupled with significant coverage, might have encouraged two things to happen: Individuals who vary in motivation, from hardcore bigots to those just seeking a thrill, seeking something to do, as well as victims who felt that they should report this because they're not alone," Levin told The New York Times.

Jackson is currently being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court on March 27, according to a criminal complaint.

Photo by Seth Wenig/Associated Press