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Two dead, nine wounded in shooting near the Empire State Building
Nine people were wounded and two people were dead Friday after a shooting outside the Empire State Building in the Midtown area of Manhattan. The two victims included the gunman, who was shot and killed by police near the tourist entrance of the landmark skyscraper.
The shooting occurred at 9:03 a.m. ET at Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. The gunman, a 53 year-old women's accessories designer named Jeffrey Johnson, was fired from his job during a corporate downsizing at Hazan Imports and returned to his office Friday morning to target his 41 year-old boss.
The shooter followed his coworker down 33rd Street, and shot him outside of Legend's Bar, according to the New York Post. It is unclear if he fired into a crowd of pedestrians outside of the Empire State Building, or if pedestrians were caught in crossfire, reported the New York Daily News.
[Slideshow: Photos from the scene at Empire State Building shooting]
A construction worker who witnessed the shooting followed the suspect and then alerted police who were posted nearby. As the officers approached Johnston, he pulled his gun and fired on the officers. They returned fire and killed him, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
None of the other people who were shot were seriously wounded and that they are all expected to recover. Some of those wounded may have been hit by NYPD gunfire, Bloomberg said.
Police cordoned off a one-block perimeter around the Empire State Building after the shooting. Around 10 a.m., a lone tourist bus headed down Fifth Avenue, and a guide could be heard over the bus's mic explaining they were nearing the landmark. As police waved the bus to detour down 36th Street, the guide was openly mystified. "I don't know what's going on, folks," he said, as the bus turned. By then the bus's passengers were looking up at the sky at a news helicopter floating overhead. Some stood, clutching their cameras.
Along 35th street, hundreds of people stood photographing the scene with iPhones and iPads. Officers could be seen standing in the middle of 34th street around a scene surrounded by police tape. Television producers roamed the crowd looking for witnesses. "Was anybody here when this happened? Was anybody here when this happened?" one NBC producer yelled.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that the gunman was using a rifle or shotgun.
Word of the shooting spread rapidly on social media networks.
"On 5th avenue surrounded by helicopters and police," @CeciliaHalling wrote on Twitter. "I'm very glad I wasn't 20 blocks further down half an hour ago."
We'll update this story as more details are known.
Yahoo! News staffers in New York City contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/multiple-people-hit-shooting-near-empire-state-building-133611266.html
The shooting occurred at 9:03 a.m. ET at Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. The gunman, a 53 year-old women's accessories designer named Jeffrey Johnson, was fired from his job during a corporate downsizing at Hazan Imports and returned to his office Friday morning to target his 41 year-old boss.
The shooter followed his coworker down 33rd Street, and shot him outside of Legend's Bar, according to the New York Post. It is unclear if he fired into a crowd of pedestrians outside of the Empire State Building, or if pedestrians were caught in crossfire, reported the New York Daily News.
[Slideshow: Photos from the scene at Empire State Building shooting]
A construction worker who witnessed the shooting followed the suspect and then alerted police who were posted nearby. As the officers approached Johnston, he pulled his gun and fired on the officers. They returned fire and killed him, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
None of the other people who were shot were seriously wounded and that they are all expected to recover. Some of those wounded may have been hit by NYPD gunfire, Bloomberg said.
Police cordoned off a one-block perimeter around the Empire State Building after the shooting. Around 10 a.m., a lone tourist bus headed down Fifth Avenue, and a guide could be heard over the bus's mic explaining they were nearing the landmark. As police waved the bus to detour down 36th Street, the guide was openly mystified. "I don't know what's going on, folks," he said, as the bus turned. By then the bus's passengers were looking up at the sky at a news helicopter floating overhead. Some stood, clutching their cameras.
Along 35th street, hundreds of people stood photographing the scene with iPhones and iPads. Officers could be seen standing in the middle of 34th street around a scene surrounded by police tape. Television producers roamed the crowd looking for witnesses. "Was anybody here when this happened? Was anybody here when this happened?" one NBC producer yelled.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that the gunman was using a rifle or shotgun.
Word of the shooting spread rapidly on social media networks.
"On 5th avenue surrounded by helicopters and police," @CeciliaHalling wrote on Twitter. "I'm very glad I wasn't 20 blocks further down half an hour ago."
We'll update this story as more details are known.
Yahoo! News staffers in New York City contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/multiple-people-hit-shooting-near-empire-state-building-133611266.html
Just a little something to chew on. Notice how many of these shooting things get news play? How come you seldom hear of how someone with a gun stopped crime? Is it just a given that a cop is supposed to do that?
I was home at lunch watching FAUX news, and they were reporting that it was a disgruntled employee. The person used to work inside the ESB. That's about all they were saying.
Something like this used to have shock value because it was so rare. Now it seems to be a common occurance. Now if the perpetrator doesnt shoot you then the police might while trying to get the perp. Its not safe anywhere anymore.
Once again you have to wonder what drives someone to do this. I guess we will never really understand. I saw this on the news this morning. Given the amount of people that were around, I'm grateful more were not hurt or killed. So tragic.
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