Two people were killed this morning near the intersections of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue outside the Empire State Building.
A fired worker shot his former boss and then turned his weapon on police officers; he was killed and nine pedestrians were struck, some by police bullets, Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said today, according to the New York Post.
The Empire State Building was not involved in the incident, Anthony Malkin of Malkin Holdings said in a statement.
“Today, a disgruntled employee of a company which neighbors the Empire State Building fatally shot a former co-worker,” Malkin said. “Two police officers who are part of the NYPD’s normal coverage of the area around the Empire State Building approached and fatally shot the man. Nine others were injured in the shooting. This unfortunate event had nothing to do with the Empire State Building or with terrorism. The Empire State Building and its Observatories remained open throughout, and continue to be open and operating. At no time was there any related activity in the building. We express our deepest concern for those innocents who were hurt and our appreciation to the NYPD.”
