The shooting occurred around 6 p.m. on 28/7 (5 a.m. Hanoi time) after a man armed with a rifle entered a high-rise building on Park Avenue, a location housing numerous offices and popular with tourists. Hundreds of police officers, several helicopters, and a drone were deployed to the scene.
"Four people, including an off-duty police officer, were killed. The suspect is also dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," a law enforcement source said.
Images released by US media show the man, wearing sunglasses and a dark jacket, carrying a rifle as he entered the building.
According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, surveillance video shows the man entering the building's lobby and immediately opening fire on a police officer and others. The suspect proceeded to the elevator area where he shot a security guard, then went to the 33rd floor and shot another person before shooting himself in the chest.
"A woman exited the elevator, and the suspect let her pass," Tisch said.
The weapon used in the attack was an M4 rifle. Police searched the suspect's vehicle and found a loaded handgun, a rifle case, ammunition, prescription medication, and other items.
Sources identified the suspect as 27-year-old Shane Tamura from Las Vegas, Nevada. Police found identification on Tamura's body, including a gun permit. Officials have determined that Tamura acted alone.
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The suspect carrying a rifle enters the building in midtown Manhattan, New York, on 28/7. Photo: CNN |
The New York Police Department, assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is investigating the motive for the shooting. The suspect had a history of mental illness.
One witness reported the suspect moving from floor to floor as office workers were preparing to leave for the day.
Jessica Chen stated that she was watching a presentation with dozens of others on the second floor when "they heard multiple gunshots from the first floor." They ran into a conference room and barricaded the door with a table. "We were terrified," Chen said, adding that she texted her parents to tell them she loved them.
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Police implement security measures near the scene of the shooting in New York. Photo: AFP |
This is the 254th mass shooting in the US this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that tracks gun-related violence. The organization defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are shot, not including the shooter.
Huyen Le (According to AFP, AP, CNN)
