NEW YORK (AP) -- Witnesses describe a chaotic scene on a busy New York City street this morning, as police shot and killed a man who had shot a former co-worker to death.
The gunfire rang out on the Fifth Avenue side of the Empire State Building at around 9 a.m., when pedestrians packed sidewalks and merchants were opening their shops.
One man said he heard "one shot after the other" for about 15 seconds, and people yelling at others to "get down!" Afterward, he said, he saw the sidewalks littered with the wounded.
Police say the gunman, identified as Jeffrey Johnson, was wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase as he fired three times at his former colleague, shooting him in the head. They say he then walked away and was followed by a construction worker who alerted two police officers. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says surveillance video shows Johnson reaching into a bag, pulling out a pistol and pointing it at officers -- who drew their weapons and started firing, killing him.
Kelly says the 14 rounds fired by police may have hit some of the nine people who were wounded. All are expected to survive.
The gunman had been laid off from his job as a women's accessories designer after six years because of downsizing.
********************
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City officials say a laid-off women's accessories designer fatally shot a former co-worker outside the Empire State Building, then was killed by police in a shootout that wounded nine bystanders.
Police say Jeffrey Johnson opened fire at about 9 a.m. Friday on the Fifth Avenue side of the building.
His victim was identified as Steven Ercolino, a vice president at Hazan Import.
That is the company where Johnson worked until he was laid off a year ago.
A man who answered the phone at Ercolino's parents' home in the city's suburbs says "he was a good son."
Police haven't released Ercolino's name, but a law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed his identity.
Nine others were hit by gunfire, including some who may have been struck by police bullets. They are expected to survive.
*******************
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City officials say a laid-off women's accessories designer shot and killed co-worker outside the Empire State Building, then got in a shootout with police.
Fifty-three-year-old Jeffrey Johnson opened fire with a .45-caliber pistol at about 9 a.m. Friday on the Fifth Avenue side of the building. He was shot dead by police.
Nine others were hit by gunfire. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that some of the victims may have been hit by police bullets. The victims are expected to survive.
Johnson was laid off about a year ago from a company housed in the Empire State Building.
*******************
NEW YORK (AP) -- NYC commissioner: Empire State Building shooter was laid-off designer of women's accessories.
*******************
NEW YORK (AP) -- Two law enforcement officials in New York City say a recently fired store worker shot a former colleague to death and then randomly opened fire on others near the Empire State Building. They say the gunman was shot and killed by police.
The officials say eight other people were struck by bullets but those injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
The officials say the gunman previously worked at a store inside the landmark skyscraper. The shooting happened at about 9 a.m. Friday at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The law enforcement officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Federal officials say the shooting isn't related to terrorism, and a guard at the landmark said it didn't involve the parts of the building where tourists gather to visit the skyscraper.
**********************
Law enforcement officials in New York City say at least four people have been shot outside the Empire State Building in violence that stemmed from a workplace dispute, and that the gunman has been killed by police.
New York (AP) - Police say as many as 10 people were injured, but it is unclear how many of them were hit by bullets.
The shooting happened at about 9 a.m. Friday at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue.
A law enforcement official says it stemmed from workplace dispute. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Federal officials say the shooting isn't related to terrorism, and a guard at the landmark said it didn't involve the parts of the building where tourists gather to visit the skyscraper.
-------------------------------------------------
New York (ABC News) - A gunman who opened fire outside New York City's Empire State building has been killed on the scene, the NYPD told ABC News.
At least four people were shot late Friday morning on New York's famed 5th Avenue outside the historic landmark. Eight or more people were injured altogether.
It is unknown what prompted the deadly incident.
-------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (AP) -- Fire officials say several people have been shot outside the Empire State Building.
A fire department spokesman says it received a call about the shooting just after at 9 a.m. Eastern on Friday and that emergency units were on the scene within minutes.
The spokesman had no information about how many people were wounded or their conditions.
The shooting occurred at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue.
