Off-duty NYPD officer among 4 dead in New York City shooting

A gunman opened fire on Monday inside a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper housing NFL headquarters and offices of several financial firms, including Blackstone, killing at least four people before the suspect turned up dead in the building, a law enforcement source said.

Police did not immediately make details of the shooting public, but the source told Reuters that one of the four victims confirmed to have died was an off-duty New York Police Department officer. The three other victims known to have been shot to death were civilians.

Separately, the NYPD said on the social media platform X that the gunman turned up dead.

Other news media outlets reported that the slain NYPD officer was working paid security detail for the building at the time.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a video message posted on X there were "multiple injuries" in the shooting.

A short time later, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on X: "At this time, the scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralised."

The New York Post newspaper, citing law enforcement sources, reported a gunman wearing a bullet-resistant vest and carrying an AR-style rifle had opened fire inside the Park Avenue skyscraper, killing five people, including an NYPD officer, before turning the weapon on himself. The Post said six other people were injured.

At one point during the violence, the gunman had barricaded himself inside the office tower, possibly on the 32nd floor of the building, according to the Post.

CNN reported the police officer and three civilians were slain, in addition to the shooter.

Several news outlets, including CNN, the New York Post and NBC News, said the suspect was tentatively identified as a 27-year-old man from Las Vegas.

A photo of the suspect that CNN said was shared by police showing a gunman walking into the building carrying a rifle was published by a number of major news media outlets. Preliminary checks of the suspect's background did not show a significant criminal history, the report added, citing officials.

The skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue houses offices of a number of financial institutions, including Blackstone and KPMG, along with the NFL headquarters.

Authorities have said nothing about a possible motive for the shootings.

A large police presence converged on the area around the tower, according to Reuters journalists near the scene.

“I just saw a lot of commotion and cops and people screaming,” said Russ McGee, a 31-year-old sports bettor who was working out in a gym adjacent to the skyscraper, told Reuters in an interview near the scene.

The FBI said agents from its New York field office were also responding to provide support at the scene.