Amateur video captures NY shooting scene

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Amateur video showed the scene outside the Empire State Building on Friday (August 24) after a man fatally shot a former co-worker and then was killed by police in a gun battle.

Eight bystanders were also wounded in the incident that created chaos and shocked commuters and tourists outside one of New York's most popular landmarks.

The wounded - two women and six men - all were expected to survive, city officials said.

Officials said Jeffrey Johnson, aged 58, a fashion accessories designer, was disgruntled after being fired a year ago from Hazan Imports, located near the Empire State Building. Shortly after 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) he shot a 41-year-old former Hazan co-worker three times at close range with a .45-caliber handgun, they said.

As police closed in on him on the sidewalk outside the 102-story Empire State Building, Johnson turned his gun on them and officers shot back and killed him, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

Investigators were attempting to determine whether Johnson shot anyone beyond his initial target. Some of the surviving victims could have been hit by the two police officers who were shooting at Johnson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Other than its proximity to the violence, there was no link to the historic Empire State Building and Bloomberg ruled out any connection to terrorism. The shooting rattled an always-busy part of Midtown Manhattan at the height of the tourist season.

This was the second high-profile shooting incident in two weeks in New York's tourist-heavy Midtown Manhattan. On August 12 New York City police shot and killed a knife-wielding suspect as he sought to evade them through Saturday afternoon traffic and pedestrians in Times Square.