A gunman and one other person were killed and numerous others wounded Friday during a mass shooting at rush hour outside New York’s Empire State Building, police said. Streets around one of the Big Apple’s biggest attractions were closed as police flooded the area. Television helicopters hovered overhead, filming the aftermath, including the body of the suspect covered in a white sheet.
Initial details remained sketchy, but the FBI quickly said that there appeared to be no link to terrorism.
Police sources told local media that the shooting was related to a workplace dispute. New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were expected to give a news conference at about 11:00 am (1500 GMT). NY1 television reported that as many as eight people had been shot at the skyscraper and that one of the shooter’s victims had also died, while CNN reported as many as 10 people shot. ABC television reported that two people died, including the shooter, and four people received serious wounds.