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Summary At least two people were killed and nine others wounded in shoot out outside Empire State Building.
A recently laid-off store worker shot a former colleague to death Friday morning outside New Yorks iconic Empire State Building before being killed by police, police said. Nine others were hit by gunfire in the confrontation, but police said all were expected to survive.The shooting set off chaos around one of the worlds best-known landmarks at the height of the summer travel season and just after the morning rush hour. Police on their regular anti-terrorism duties in the highly touristed shopping area rushed to the scene.People were yelling Get down Get down said Marc Engel, who was on a bus in the area when he heard the shots. It took about 15 seconds, a lot of pop, pop, pop, pop, one shot after the other.Engel saw the wounded scattered along the sidewalk, including one person dripping enough blood to leave a stream.Mayor Michael Bloomberg said some of the victims may have been hit by police bullets as they confronted the gunman.This was a terrible tragedy, Bloomberg told a press conference. We are not immune to the national problem of gun violence.Bloomberg has spoken out in recent weeks for gun control after mass shootings at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and a theater in Colorado, but many politicians have hesitated to approach the sensitive issue, especially in a national election year.Police identified the gunman as Jeffrey Johnson, 58, a former designer of womens accessories who was laid off last year. They said they had little details yet about his background, including a criminal record.Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Johnson fired at the former colleague three times at close range. The two had traded accusations of harassment when Johnson worked there, he said. The name of the 41-year-old victim was not released pending notification of the family.Johnson then walked away, but a construction worker who witnessed the encounter followed him and alerted police, officials said.Surveillance video footage shows Johnson reaching into a bag, pulling out a .45-caliber pistol and pointing it at officers, Kelly said. The officers drew their weapons and started firing, killing Johnson, Kelly said.Kelly initially said Johnson fired on officers, but police said later they were trying to determine whether Johnson actually fired. The two officers fired a total of 14 rounds, Kelly said.
