Police Fatally Shoot Man Who Opened Fire Outside Manhattan Cathedral

A man was fatally shot by the police after he opened fire near a crowd of hundreds of people gathered for a Christmas concert on Sunday afternoon on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights, the authorities said.

It was not immediately clear if the gunman was shooting at anyone in the crowd, but the church said in a Facebook post that he appeared to be firing into the air. No one else was struck by gunfire, the police said.

Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea said at a news conference outside the church that the man had a gun in each hand and opened fire from behind a marble pillar in front of the church’s large wooden doors, which were decorated with Christmas wreaths.

Three officers who were working nearby returned fire, striking the gunman at least once in the head, Commissioner Shea said.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/nyregion/nyc-shooting-cathedral.html