Empire State Building Shooting Reveals ‘Large Police Presence,’ Scant Details

A shooting at the Empire State Building this morning has left at least one person dead, reportedly the shooter, but scant details are available about the crime as information trickles in from multiple sources.

What we do know is that anywhere from four to eight civilians were wounded in the Empire State Building shooting, a shooting that occurred at the corner of 34th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan some time around 9 am Friday.

There is reportedly a large police presence at the scene of the Empire State Building shooting, but law enforcement have only confirmed the incident and advise residents to steer clear of the area.

Update, 9:51 am: Two at the scene of the Empire State Building aside from the shooter have been reported dead, but information is currently unconfirmed. Major international newswires have said two including the shooter are dead, and that the shootings occurred at “multiple” locations near the landmark.

Update, 9:53 am: Streets near the Empire State Building have been closed down, and much of Midtown is likely to be affected as the investigation continues.

Update, 9:51 am: Major newswires say a NYPD source has stated that two victims of the shooter have died. Official confirmation of deaths has not been yet made.

An unknown user has uploaded the following picture of the Empire State Building shooting aftermath to Twitter:

Update, 10:01 am: A local WPIX reporter has tweeted a picture he says is a “body on the sidewalk” outside the Empire State Building. It is not known if the reported body is that of the confirmed dead shooter or a victim.

Reddit user Titan413 commented on a thread about the Empire State Building shooting, saying:

“I was on the bus right there when it happened. At least four people got shot. Two on the northwest side of the street, one empire state building ticket guy in the middle of the crosswalk, and someone on the southwest corner. That was terrifying.”

Update, 10:10 am: MSNBC is reporting on television the Empire State Building shooting may be a workplace shooting.

The Reddit user updates:

“I didn’t actually see the shooter, everyone was running. My guess is they shot from the southeast corner, or maybe in the crosswalk on the south side of the street, aiming toward the Duane Reade across the street (based on where people were hurt). As to motive or whatever, I can’t begin to guess.”

Update, 10:15 am: MSNBC is reporting 10 injured, four shot per the NYFD.

Reddit user CatfishRadiator claims to have witnessed the aftermath, saying:

“There is a man with a bullet in his head in front of my building at 10w 33rd. His blood had just reached the gutters when I arrived. I looked at his corpse for about 1 second and felt all the hair on my body rise– it is the first corpse I have ever seen as a result of violence.”

“All I can think of is how absolutely horrifying it must be for soldiers and cops who see this s*** every day. It’s like being punched in the gut.”

Two Redditors claim a shootout between police and the shooter injured civilians, and user ineedofscience says:

“Eyewitnesses just told me cops shot innocent bystanders with automatic rifles while trying to shoot armed man!”

Broadcast MSNBC says two are confirmed dead, one victim and the shooter.

Update, 10:33 am: MSNBC is reporting the shooting is “workplace related” and that the shooter was “disgruntled.”

Update, 11:39 am: Mayor Bloomberg has named the shooter as 53-year-old Jeffrey Johnson, and MSNBC says the victim was 41.