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ABC News
Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly
# new york shooting
New York latest: shooter pulled gun on police after killing co-worker
The New York mayor and police commissioner have revealed details of this morning’s shooting in which two people died.
NEW YORK’S POLICE Commissioner Ray Kelly has confirmed the identity of the shooter who killed a co-worker near the Empire State building in New York this morning.
It’s reported that fifty-three-year-old Jeffrey Johnson had been let go from his job at Hazan Imports, a company which designed womens’ accessories, and returned to his place of work this morning, confronted a 41-year-old co-worker and shot the co-worker three times.
The shooter then fled on foot and was identified to police officers by a construction worker. The police officers were on counter-terrorism detail outside the Empire State Building.
The police commissioner said that the shooter was carrying a 45-calibre handgun on a black bag. When he was pursued by police he took out the weapon and threatened to open fire. It’s not clear if he opened fire on the officers, but they shot him dead on the scene.
There were nine people injured in the crossfire. It’s not known if those injured were hit by police bullets, or were shot by the perpetrator.
Mayor Bloomberg has said that there is no connection to the Empire State Building. It had been earlier reported that Johnson had worked within the building.
He had worked at Hazan for six years.
Of the nine injured three have been taken to Bellevue Hospital and three to Cornell Medical Centre. No children were injured in the shooting.
