uvideosu's video: NYC GunMan Shot Down - Graphic Images

NEW YORK -- A laid-off women's clothing designer killed by police after shooting his former boss near the Empire State Building was a quiet and fastidious man who lived alone with his two cats in an apartment building on the Upper East Side, neighbors said. Jeffrey Johnson, 58, was almost always dressed neatly in a suit and tie, even after losing his job as an accessories designer a year ago, according to Gisela Casella, 71, a neighbor who spoke with him often. The sound of vacuuming was frequently heard from inside his apartment, she said. Guillermo Suarez, the building's superintendent, said Johnson was friendly but was always alone. "This guy was very mellow," he said. "Very mellow and very lonely." New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Johnson was fired from his job at Hazan Imports, a women's handbag company with offices near the Empire State Building, about a year ago, and that he shot and killed the firm's office manager, Steve Ercolino. The two men were involved in a dispute involving allegations of harassment, Kelly said. Johnson was dressed in a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase when he opened fire with a .45 caliber handgun just after 9 a.m. on a crowded street in midtown Manhattan. After Ercolino was dead, Johnson aimed his weapon at police and was killed in a hail of gunfire by officers, the NYPD said. Washington Post By William Branigin, Published: August 24 The gunman killed the former co-worker with a .45 caliber handgun less than a block away from the Empire State Building and was followed by a construction worker, who alerted police, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I) told reporters at the scene. He said the shooter, identified as Jeffrey Johnson, 58, of Manhattan, then drew his weapon and attempted to shoot two police officers, who opened fire and killed him. Bloomberg said some of the nine people who were hit outside the Empire State Building may have been shot accidentally by police. He said it was not clear whether the gunman managed to fire his weapon at that point. But he said none of the wounded have life-threatening injuries. Kelly said Johnson left the scene carrying his weapon in a black bag under his arm. He said the construction worker who followed him alerted two uniformed police officers who were on routine counterterrorism duty outside the Empire State Building's Fifth Avenue entrance. "As the two officers approached Johnson, he pulled his .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol from his bag and fired on the officers, who returned fire, killing him," Kelly said. "An additional nine individuals were either wounded or grazed during the exchange." Bloomberg, speaking at the same news conference, offered a different account on one key point, saying investigators have not yet determined whether Johnson fired any shots at police. He indicated that the shooting outside the Empire State Building was captured on security cameras. "We do know that — we have on tape — the perpetrator pulled his gun out and tried to shoot at the cops," the mayor said. "Whether he got off any bullets or not — to be determined. How many he shot earlier — to be determined. We do know that the cops fired back." He said there was no evidence than anyone besides the two police officers fired at Johnson. Kelly later said the two officers fired a total of 14 shots at Johnson, whose handgun apparently could not have accounted for all the wounded. Its magazine could hold only eight rounds, and at least one round remained in it, police said. A second, loaded clip was found in his bag. The 103-floor Empire State Building draws more than 10,000 visitors each day. According to its Web site, about 20,000 people work in the building, which opens for visitors at 8 a.m. daily. Robin Mueller, a tourist from Germany who was on his way with his father to see the Empire State Building on Friday morning, said he was stunned by the shooting. "It's crazy. I'm shocked," he said. "We read in school about gun control, and how it's insecure in the U.S. If everyone has a gun, everyone can shoot. It's dangerous."