Family of Ki-Suk Han mulls legal action after controversial photo

The family of the man who was fatally shoved into the path of a subway train has enlisted legal counsel to investigate the actions taken by the photographer who captured the now-infamous image of Ki-Suk Han seconds before he was killed.

The photograph, taken by R. Umar Abbasi, showed Han gripping the platform, unable to pull himself from the tracks, as a Q train sped toward him at the 49th Street and Seventh Avenue subway station Monday. The image was featured on the cover of the New York Post Tuesday with a headline that read “DOOMED.”

Abbasi, a freelance photographer who was on his way from a separate assignment for the Post, said he snapped the photos in an effort to signal the train conductor to stop with his camera flash.

In interviews Wednesday, he said he was too far from Han on the platform to be able to help him in time. Abbasi also said many onlookers were recording video and taking photos on their cell phones as rescuers pulled Han’s bloodied body from beneath the train. 

Han was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

“We are in the process of conducting an investigation as to the actions taken by the Post photographer and the company, as well as the action taken by transit authorities,” Charen Kim, an attorney representing the Han family, told Metro.

She added, “We are trying to perform a thorough investigation before deciding on legal action.”

Homeless man Naeem Davis, 30, was charged Wednesday with murder in the second degree after police said he pushed Han into the tracks following a verbal confrontation.  

Police picked up Davis near 50th Street and Seventh Avenue, not far from the station where the shocking incident occurred. Davis reportedly confessed in police custody Tuesday to pushing Han and fleeing after he saw the train hit him.

“They are distraught, shocked, upset,” Kim said of Han’s widow and college-age daughter. “And they are constantly reminded by these photos and videos in graphic detail of their father and husband’s death.”  

Han’s funeral was scheduled for Wednesday night in Flushing, Kim said.

Two men are seen talking on a New York City subway platform in this frame-grab from a video released by the NYPD.

An image of the suspect captured on surveillance footage and released by the NYPD.