Officials say this does appear to be a random shooting and there doesn’t appear to be a motive.
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People who work in the neighborhood are tweeting that it is an “active” shooting situation, and some have been locked in their offices.
Law enforcement authorities said the 68-year-old Downing opened fire at the federal building Friday evening, killing security guard Idrissa Camara.
The Varick Street building houses a U.S. immigration court, a post office, government detention and a Veteran’s Health Administration facility, along with a few private businesses.
Linda Ho said she didn’t know what prompted Friday’s shooting and that she hadn’t seen much of Downing in the past five years.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, while the security guard was transported to a nearby hospital in traumatic arrest.
A police official identified the gunman as, a man in his late 60s from, , according to media reports. The guard would have been done for the day at 4 p.m. but had agreed to stay for an extra shift, his company said.
Kevin Downing’s efforts to garner attention to his 1999 firing from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics had caught the eye of Rep. Bill Pascrell.
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The NYPD was working closely with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other authorities to determine the suspect’s motive, O’Neill said. It’s clear from the facts that he never had a chance to defend himself in this instance. “We are heartbroken that one of our own has fallen”, the union said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family”.
