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Multiple People Shot Outside Empire State Building [Updated]

The scene at the shooting. Photo: @bicyclesonly

Multiple people were shot around the vicinity of the Empire State Building around 9 a.m. this morning in an incident that appears to have been sparked by some kind of workplace dispute. Police quickly responded to the scene and killed the gunman. We’ll keep updating this post as details becomes available. 

Update: A witness being interviewed by Fox 5 says the shooter was a “young white guy” in his twenties wearing casual clothes. The station is reporting three to four people were shot, with the gunman killed at the scene, while the FDNY is saying that eight people were injured. 

Update II: On Instagram, a graphic photo purportedly from the scene. 

Update III: Multiple reports sourced to the FDNY and a “police source” now peg the number of injured at eight:

Update IV: Another witness tells her account of the shooting. 

Update V: Here’s a look at the scene right now, courtesy of Azi Paybarah: 

Update VI: Bloomberg News’s Jake Beckman reports that three people were shot before the police killed the gunman. Details: Still sketchy.

Update VII: The Post reports: “A dispute between coworkers exploded into gunfire outside the Empire State Building this morning, leaving at least two dead including the gunman and an innocent bystander – and a total of 10 people shot, sources said”

ABC 7 is also reporting that it was a “workplace dispute that spilled out into the street.” They say ten people have been “injured,” but four of them were shot. 

Update VIII: The Post updates: “The two men fought right on the sidewalk before one suddenly drew his weapon and opened fire.”

Update IX: Another somewhat graphic photo of what appears to be a shooting victim at the scene. 

Update X: The Daily News reports:

Construction worker Chris Ogden was working on a scaffold above the building’s 33rd St. entrance when he watched in disbelief as the gunman — in a suit and carrying a briefcase — opened fire.

“He shot the guy in the head,” said Ogden, 23. “The guy went down. He took a second shot when he was down.”

The well-dressed shooter then “walked down the block, like nothing was happening, real casual,” Ogden said. “We were screaming from the top, ‘It’s the guy in the grey suit!’”

Update XI: Mayor Bloomberg will speak at 11 a.m. You can watch it here.

Update XII: For what it’s worth, President Obama was briefed on the shooting by his Homeland Security adviser, although the incident was not related to terrorism in any way.

Update XIII: According to Malcolm Smith, who told ABC 7 that he had spoken to Mayor Bloomberg, the gunman was an employee at a nearby store. He had been fired and returned to shoot his manager. 

Update XIV: In a press coneference just now with Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, the gunman was identified as 53-year-old Jeffrey Johnson. He’d been employed for six years at Hazan Imports, and was laid off a year ago. Today he confronted a 41-year-old co-worker and shot him in the head with a .45-caliber pistol, killing him. Police then confronted the shooter, who pulled a gun on them, and they shot him dead. Nine people were wounded in all, some of whom may have been shot accidentally by police officers in the crossfire. All of the wounded are expected to survive. 

Multiple People Shot at Empire State Building