On December 22, 1984, four men, Barry Allen, Troy Canty, Darrell Cabey, and James Ramseur, were shot and wounded by Bernhard Goetz. On his way home, Goetz shot the four black robbers on a New York City subway. While he claimed this was an act of self-defense, the action sets off a controversial, tabloid-fueled trial which earned Goetz the nickname "Subway Vigilante," as he said he shot the four boys after an attempted mugging.