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NEW YORK – A man was shot and killed by police after opening fire near a crowd of hundreds of people gathered for a Christmas concert Sunday afternoon in front of the historic Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYofficials said.
It was unclear if the sniper was targeting someone in the crowd, but witnesses said he appeared to be aiming his shots upward. No one else was shot, police said.
Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea told a news conference outside the church that the man opened fire behind a marble pillar in front of the church’s large wooden doors, which were decorated with Christmas garlands.
Three police officers working nearby responded to the fire, hitting the sniper at least once in the head, Shea said.
Shea said the motive for the shooting was not yet clear, but according to several witnesses, the man yelled, “Kill me.” Police said they had provisionally identified the man, but did not release his name. The man had a “long criminal history,” the commissioner said.
He said police recovered two semi-automatic firearms from the scene, along with a bag full of gasoline, wire, rope, several knives, duct tape and a Bible.
“It is by the grace of God today that no one was hurt,” Shea said.
The shooting began minutes after the show ended, said Lisa Schubert, a cathedral spokeswoman who witnessed the incident.
“It was just beautiful, and in the end, that person started shooting. Everyone is in shock, “he said. “The sniper could have killed many people. There were hundreds of people here and he shot at least 20 times. ”
Schubert said she was standing at the entrance to the cathedral when the shooting began.
“We had been planning this show for weeks as a gift to the community, and the weather was beautiful, so the whole community was outside, physically separated with masks, people with dogs and people with babies,” he said. “It was something we hadn’t seen since last March.”
Matthew Bishop, 56, who was watching the show with his wife, son and friends, said that after it ended, people were invited to church. Moments later, the shooting began.
“Suddenly, everyone looked at each other and started running,” he said.
Yuri Nakamura, 36, and her husband were inside the cathedral after listening to the program. The singers had finished “Ave Maria” and more people were entering when a loud hammering was heard, Nakamura said.
The couple did not see the shooting, but security guards and police officers soon began to enter.
Madeline Tsingopoulos attended the concert and heard the choir sing a mix of Christmas carols, hymns, spiritual and modern melodies, she said. He had hoped to shake the driver’s hand, but decided to return to his nearby home. In minutes, he heard helicopters.
“It was one of the most beautiful, spectacular and peaceful events,” he said. “It was very well received during this pandemic. Fortunately, I left immediately and then we heard helicopters overhead. ”
Narine Sargsyan was in the area at the time of the shooting and said it caused terrified people to run down Amsterdam Avenue, some of whom ran into the Hungarian confectionery, where officials let them in.
“We heard shots like fireworks and everyone was saying, ‘There was a shooting at this event in front of the church,'” said Sargsyan, who was at the store. “People panicked because nobody knew what was happening. They ran down the street and hid where they could. Some children hid in the bathroom. ”
Dozens of police vehicles with their flashing lights lined Amsterdam Avenue in front of the church Sunday night. Counterterrorism agents, some with long weapons, circled as a crowd of civilians waited behind the yellow police tape in front of the church.
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is home to the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and many of the diocese leaders attended the concert and witnessed the shooting, including the Rev. Clifton Daniel III, rector of the cathedral, and Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, Bishop of New York. Both men refused to speak to a journalist on Sunday.
“The parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the audience on the esplanade, the clergy and the team are safe after the shooting,” Isadora Wilkenfeld, another spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Our prayers are with all those affected by this.”
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