Gunman opens fire in New York federal building

NEW YORK, NY — A man walked into a federal building in New York City late Friday afternoon and opened fire, wounding a security guard in the head, before turning the gun on himself, police said.

NEW YORK, NY — A man walked into a federal building in New York City late Friday afternoon and opened fire, wounding a security guard in the head, before turning the gun on himself, police said.

The unidentified man died in the building in Manhattan, police said.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the gunmen has been identified as a 68-year-old man from Fort Lee, New Jersey.

The man walked through a side entrance of the building around 5 p.m. and shot the security guard in the head, New York Police Department Chief James O’Neil said. The man then walked through the security area and headed to an elevator, where he encountered another employee, O’Neil said. The man then shot himself in the head.

According to PIX11, the 53-year-old private security officer was in cardiac arrest at the scene and was taken to the hospital where he later died.

Police said the motive for the shooting remained unclear.

The federal office building on Varick Street houses an immigration court, passport processing center and a regional office for the Department of Labor. The guard had a weapon but it doesn’t appear he was able to fire, according to police.

O’Neil, speaking at a news conference at the scene, said it appeared the shooter acted alone. He said nothing gave police any reason to believe the shooting was terrorist-related.

Employees at the building said they were told to get down on the ground when the shots rang out. A short time later, the building was placed on lockdown and then evacuated.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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