By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY
A disgruntled worker laid off by an import company was killed in a shootout with police near the Empire State building today after he had killed a co-worker and fled into the street.
New York City police commissioner says at least 9 people were injured in the incident, including bystanders caught in a crossfire as police shot and killed the gunman, who was identified as Jeffrey Johnson, 53.
At least 10 people were injured in the melee in a heavily traveled tourist section of downtown New York City.
The Associated Press quotes a law enforcement official as saying the shooting stemmed from a workplace dispute.
Update 11:25 a.m. ET: New York City Police Commissioner Raymondy Kelly identified the shooting suspect as Jeffrey Johnson, 53, who had been fired from an import company in the building.
Update at 11:22 a.m. ET: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the suspect had been fired from his job at the address about a year ago.
He says some of the people injured in the melee may have been accidentally shot by police officers firing at the gunman.
Update at 11:18 a.m. ET:The New York Post has posted raw video of the scene on the street moments after the shooting, with victims collapsed on the sidewalk.
Update at 11:14 a.m. ET: Another witness, Jamal Yahaya, 36, works for New York Skyrise, a tourist operation in the Empire State Building.
He tells USA TODAY's Kevin McCoy that he saw the gunman, after the shooting, walking north on 5th Avenue. The police were following him and told him to stop, Yahaya says. The man reached into his shoulder bag, pulled out a gun and fired at the police. The police fired back.
"I saw him go down after the police shot at him. I've never seen anything like this in my life," says Yahaya.
Update at 11:12 a.m. ET: Anthony Hayes, a cable technician for TriTec Communications, tells USA TODAY's Kevin McCoy that he was on the 8th floor of the Empire State Building at the time of the shooting.
"I heard the shot and ran to the window," Hayes says. "Pop, pop, pop, pop. Four shots. I looked down and a guy was lying there."
He says he could see someone wearing a tour guide-type uniform who was down on 34th St.
Update at 11:08 a.m. ET: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will speak to the news media shortly from the scene.
Update at 11:06 a.m. ET:The New York Daily News reports that the gunman, wearing a business suit, shot a person near the 33rd St. entrance to the iconic skyscraper, then walked away casually.
The suspect was then shot and killed by police in a confrontation on Fifth Ave.
Update at 10:31 a.m. ET: The New York Times quotes an unidentified city official as saying that eight people were wounded, and that the gunman and one other person were dead.
Update at 10:23 a.m. ET: The New York Daily News quotes a construction worker, Chris Ogden, as saying he saw the gunman, who was carrying a briefcase, open fire. "He shot the guy in the head," Ogden tells the newspaper. "The guy went down. He took a second shot when he was down."
Update at 10:14 a.m. ET: A witness tells CNN that the gunman ran after and shot a man in the head. An unarmed guard chased the gunman away, the witness says.
Update at 10:10 a.m. ET: CBS2 New York quotes a witness as saying she heard three shots and saw three people running down the street. "Then we heard it again and it was like 10 to 15 shots at one time," she tells CBS2.
Update at 10:05 a.m. ET: The New York Post, quoting unidentified sources, reports that the shootings stemmed from a dispute between co-workers.
The Post says at least two people are dead, including the gunman and an innocent bystander, and that a total of 10 people were shot. Reuters also reports two dead.
Update at 10:04 a.m. ET: Aliyah Imam tells Fox 5 News that she was standing at a red light when a woman standing next to her fell to the ground. She says the woman was hit in the hip. She says the gunman was "shooting indiscriminately at people."
Update at 9:51 a.m. ET: Several media outlets are quoting New York City police as saying the incident is not terrorism-related.
Update at 9:50 a.m. ET: Reuters reports that at least 8 people were shot in the incident.
Update at 9:49 a.m. ET: The shooting occurred at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, just beside the city's iconic skyscraper and a massive tourist attraction.
Update at 9:45 a.m. ET: Reuters, quoting an unidentified New York City police source, reports two are dead in the shootings, but this has not been confirmed by other media sources.
Update at 9:44 a.m. ET: CNN reports that 5 people were injured in the shooting.