Empire State Building Shooting: 9 Hurt, 2 Dead Including Shooter

Click here to see GRAPHIC photos from the Empire State Building shooting


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UPDATE 11:25 a.m.:
From live press conference: The shooter was a disgruntled employee who shot and killed a former co-worker, striking the victim three times. The shooter was ID’d as Jeffrey Johnson, age 53, a former employee of Hazan Imports as a designer of women’s clothing. He had been laid off a year ago. He fired at close range, striking his 41-year-old victim in the head. A construction worker followed the shooter and alerted cops, who engaged in a shootout after the perp pulled a gun. They killed the gunman. Cops say they have video that proves the gunman drew a weapon on the cops before they shot him. Nine more people were wounded or grazed: two women and seven men. The company the shooter worked for was NOT in the Empire State Building. The weapon was a .45 caliber pistol. Bloomberg was unclear on whether police bullets were to blame for wounding bystanders.
Replay the press conference (skip to 25:00):

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UPDATE 11:09 a.m.:
Victims have injuries possibly consistent with buckshot wounds.
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UPDATE 10:51 a.m.:
From live NBC broadcast: The shooter is a male his 20s. He had been fired from his job, possibly yesterday, and apparently “targeted his boss in a revenge attack.” He was stopped by security and turned away from the Empire State Building. He apparently waited outside to target the boss.
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UPDATE 10:43 a.m.:
NBC reports that President Barack Obama was notified of the shooting at 9:30 a.m., shortly after it took place. NBC’s live broadcast has this possible description of the shooter: “a tall Caucasian man wearing a gray suit.”
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UPDATE 10:25 a.m.
@NYScanner tweets that the shooter had been fired from his job:

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UPDATE 10:20 a.m.:
Instagrammer Mr_Mookie shared THIS GRAPHIC PHOTO of one of the shooting victims.
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UPDATE 10:12 a.m.:
The New York Post reports that 10 people were shot, and two are dead — including the shooter. The shooting is not thought to be terrorism-related; the shooter is described as a disgruntled employee.

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UPDATE 10:03 a.m.:
CNN is reporting that at least 10 people were shot, one of them in the head:

A witness told CNN’s Rose Arce that the gunman ran after and shot a man in the head. An unarmed guard chased the gunman away, the witness told Arce.

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UPDATE 10:02 a.m.:
The gunman opened fire “indiscriminately,” a witness tells Fox 5.
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UPDATE 9:59 a.m.:
The FBI is on-scene and investigating:

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UPDATE 9:57 a.m.:
Eight patients are being evaluated, reports NBC:

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UPDATE 9:54 a.m.:
The victim count may be as high as seven:

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Several people were shot today outside the Empire State Building in New York, one of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers.

Early reports say three or four civilians were wounded and that the shooter is dead.

See GRAPHIC photos from the Empire State Building shooting