The shooter, a former Manhattan resident, doesn’t appear to have any previous criminal record or ties to terrorism. It is currently speculated that the alleged gunman was firing at a former coworker. Law enforcement officers have revised their previous count of 9 wounded to 8, and it is still unclear whether some victims may have been struck by law enforcement who fired 14 rounds during the incident.
A disgruntled former worker sparked chaos in front of the Empire State Building on Friday when he shot and killed a co-worker and engaged in a gun battle with police, leaving at least eight others wounded, authorities said.
The shooter, who has been identified as Jeffrey Johnson, 58, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with two police officers. The officers fired 14 rounds during the incident after Johnson turned his gun on them, according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Some of the wounded people may have been hit in the crossfire or by ricocheting bullets, he said.
Johnson was apparently laid off from his job as a designer of women’s accessories at Hazan Imports last year. Clad in a business suit and carrying a briefcase, the gunman apparently had a longstanding dispute with the victim over allegations of harassment in the workplace, police said.
Both men had filed prior complaints. But on Friday morning, police say, Johnson fatally shot the 41-year-old man. Police initially reported that nine people were wounded in the incident, but they later revised that number to eight.
A construction worker followed the gunman after the initial gunshots and alerted officers.
Two police officers were being treated at a Manhattan hospital, though no injuries are considered life-threatening, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
