A man was shot dead after opening fire outside a church in New York City, where a Christmas concert was being held.
Chaos Sunday in New York. A man was shot dead by police after shooting at a crowd of people gathered in front of a church where a Christmas carol concert was being held. The footage shows the suspect, masked and armed, brandishing his gun towards the public. Fortunately, he did not hit anyone but was shot in the head and was later pronounced dead in hospital. Rescue workers discovered two handguns at the scene and a nearby bag containing a full tank of gasoline, ropes, cable and numerous knives, authorities said. The man who would be 52 years old according to the “New York PostShouted “Kill me!” Kill me !” while he was at the top of the steps of St John the Divine Cathedral in Manhattan.
An AFP journalist who witnessed the scene reported that the man fired in front of the church as a few hundred people began to disperse after the chanting ended. “I heard two or three detonations,” she said. “I looked up and maybe ten meters from me on the steps there was a guy shooting. I saw the flames coming out of the cannon, I started to run, to save my skin ».
“You imagine the worst”
Jessica Mates, chief of staff to Manhattan Ward President Gale Brewer, was in attendance at the Christmas show. She told the New York Post that about 30 people sought refuge inside the church when the shooting started. “We heard a gunshot, people started running for the door to enter the church,” she said. “We heard more shots … you imagine the worst and you don’t know what’s going on.” “I have to say that once they closed the doors to the church behind us, we felt more secure,” she said. The police did not give the identity of the shooter, they simply indicated that he had “a long criminal history”.
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