Gunman Shoots Multiple People Near Empire State Building
A gunman has shot multiple people near the Empire State Building in Manhattan this morning.
The incident reportedly took place at Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street around 9 a.m. Eyewitnesses say the suspect was using either a rifle or shotgun and was “shooting indiscriminately at people.” He has been identified as 53-year-old Jeffrey Johnson. Police say that about a year ago, Johnson was laid off from Hazan Imports, where he’d worked as women’s accessories designer. During his tenure with the company, he and a co-worker reportedly filed harassment charges against each other.
That situation boiled over on Friday, when Johnson approached his former colleague on the street outside the Empire State Building at about 9 a.m. and shot him three times in the head. A witness alerted police, and when they caught up with Johnson, he exchanged fire with the officers and was killed himself.
Nine bystanders were also wounded in the crossfire and taken to local hospitals, but only Johnson and his 41-year-old victim were killed.
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