Birds eye view of scene outside Empire State Building on Friday morning. Photo: CNN.

NY Times – Nine people were shot, at least one fatally, by a gunman who opened fire outside the Empire State Building shortly after 9 a.m. on Friday, according to the Fire Department and city officials. The gunman was killed by the police, officials said.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg scheduled a briefing at the scene. State Senator Malcolm A. Smith, a Queens Democrat who was in Manhattan for a meeting and went to the Empire State Building when he heard about the shooting, said the mayor had told him the gunman was “a disguntled employee who came back to the store that he was working at and apparently shot the manager.” He said the mayor indicated the manager had been hit in the face.

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