Gunman shot by NYPD in front of Manhattan Cathedral

A man was shot by police after shots were heard at the end of a Christmas choir concert on the steps of a Manhattan cathedral on Sunday afternoon (US time).

It is unclear if the gunman was killed and police said there is no indication that anyone other than the gunman was shot. The shooting occurred just before 4 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the seat of its bishop.

The 45-minute concert had just concluded and people were starting to walk away when a series of shots was heard that caused people to run down the street screaming. Officers who had been present to provide security during the event rushed in and shot the gunman, who police say was armed with a rifle.

After the shooting stopped, a large group of police officers, weapons in hand, approached the alleged assailant as he lay wounded at the top of the steps near the massive doors of the cathedral.

“Don’t move! Don’t move,” shouted some officers.

Ambulances arrived moments later and the man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea and Department Chief Terence Monahan drove to the scene.

Before the shooting began, the concert featured members of the cathedral choir standing far apart on the stone steps wearing masks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was just beautiful, and then in the end, this person started shooting. Everyone is in shock,” a cathedral spokeswoman, Lisa Schubert, told The New York Times. “The shooter could have killed many people. There were hundreds of people here and he shot at least 20 times.”

It was unclear whether the gunman was pointing at people or shooting into the air.

The cathedral posted a message on its website that read: “Our thanks to the first responders who rushed to action in response to the shooting on the steps of the cathedral entrance after Sunday carols for the community.”

The cathedral is one of the largest in the world. Construction began in 1892 and is still incomplete. The church has been connected to many New York luminaries and notable events throughout its long history. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was administrator. It hosted memorial services for puppeteer Jim Henson and choreographer Alvin Ailey, and speakers throughout the years, including South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.