(Newswire.net — December 14, 2020) —
New York City police officers shot and killed a gunman who opened fire on the steps of the NY City cathedral.
Just moments after the church choir finished their Christmas carol, shots were heard on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. A man carrying two semi-automatic handguns approached the top of the stairs and started firing into the air. The gunman fired from behind a marble pillar at the front of the church.
Gunfire started around 4 PM on Sunday, after the 45 minute choral concert concluded. Although people had started dispersing after the concert, there were still several hundred people there, and once the shooting began the crowd went diving to the sidewalk and running down Amsterdam Avenue.
Two New York police officers and once sergeant who were present at the scene immediately took action. Once police started shooting at him, the gunman darted in and out from behind the pillar he used as cover. The officers discharged 15 shots, striking the gunman in the head, killing him on the scene.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said that “by the grace of God today” no one other than the gunman was shot. He called the officers who quickly reacted at the scene as heroes.
According to multiple witnesses who were present at the scene the suspect was dressed in black, wearing a white baseball cap, his face obscured by a mask and was yelling “Kill me!”
So far police haven’t disclosed a motive for the shooting. The 50-year-old gunman was pronounced dead upon arriving at St. Luke’s Hospital late Sunday evening. Commissioner Shea mentioned that the suspect had a lengthy criminal history.
Along with the two semi-automatic rifles, a backpack believed to belong to the shooter was also retrieved from the scene. It contained gasoline, several knives, rope, wire and a bible.
Lisa Schubert, spokeswoman for the cathedral said in a statement “The shooter could have killed a lot of people. There were hundreds of people here and he shot at least 20 times.”