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Shortly after the Christmas singing event closed, an armed gunman began shooting on Sunday afternoon at Divine St John’s Cathedral in Morningside Heights – but no observer was injured as a blessing.
At the scene, three officers returned to the fire and a man was shot in the head during a shooting that took place on December 13 around 3:45 p.m. in front of the House of Prayer, at the corner of 112th West Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
Witnesses said the suspect held two firearms over his head from the top of the front stairs of the cathedral and fired several times into the air while shouting, “Kill him!”
Hundreds of observers who gathered to watch the festive songs fled in all directions when officers moved in. The streets between West 111 and West 113 streets blocked pedestrians and traffic, while SWAT trucks, police cruisers and ambulances remained on the scene as officers investigated.
“It is from God’s grace that no one has been hit and killed by the gunman,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference. Shea called the three officers on the scene heroes for their quick response.
Police produced two semi-automatic weapons from the suspect’s property, as well as a bag containing gasoline, rope, wire, several knives, ribbons, and a Bible.
The identity of the deceased’s gunman was revealed by police until the ongoing investigation. Shea said she had a very long criminal history.
No one else was injured in the shooting, although two police officers were treated with tinnitus.
City councilor Mark Levine said the gunman appears to have scaled the cathedral’s racks from which he began shooting “indiscriminately in the air”. The unknown person apparently challenged the police to shoot him.
The shooter provoked fear and alarm in the cathedral, and the participants of the concert were led away from the church with their hands raised.
The concert, which featured masked, socially distant members of the cathedral choir, took place on the steps of the cathedral at 3 p.m., and ended at exactly the time the shots were fired.
“Our Carols for the Community event this afternoon was interrupted by an armed individual and launched into the air from our first flight of stairs. Fortunately, no personal injuries have been reported and the suspect is in custody. ”Stands the cathedral Twitter invoice. “It’s awful that our choir’s gift in New York, a much-needed afternoon of songs and unity, was interrupted by this shocking act of violence. We will stay strong together and serve as a safe space for prayer, meditation and celebrations for the next festive period. “
The cathedral is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.
