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Shots Fired at New York City Hall

Aired July 23, 2003 -   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right more coming in to us now on a breaking story. And that's a live picture right now of what appears to be a victim being taken to a gurney, two of them. There's a report from the Associated Press there were two police officers injured in a shooting at New York City -- City Hall, Lower Manhattan.
Live pictures from our affiliate WABC from their helicopter as you see this happen before you. And they appear to be conducting CPR on at least one of the victims -- actually both of them right now.

The gunshots were fired shortly after 2:00. About a half hour ago. A spokesman for the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, says the mayor was in his office at the time of the shooting, was not harmed. Just to repeat that, the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, in his office, was not harmed.

Police in helmets and bulletproof vests have cordoned off -- it is unclear at this juncture what is the disposition of the shooter, if there's a suspect in custody. We do know, according to the Associated Press, that on the scene there are reports of two police officers injured and that would certainly be born out by the pictures you just saw there as two injured people were carried off into those two ambulances. Apparently in fairly serious condition as they were conducting CPR on them at the time desperately trying to restart their hearts at that occasion.

Let us listen in for just a minute to the broadcast we're getting from our affiliate WABC for just a moment. OK. We don't have any audio from them right now as we watch the ambulances prepare to depart.

No signs apparently of additional victims right now as the two ambulances make their way to hospital. As we say, just to recap, if you're just tuning in now, we're talking about City Hall, Lower Manhattan, shots were fired in the second floor about a half hour ago, as the ambulances drive off. Dozen shots in all. Not immediately known if that shooter -- he or she is in custody.

City council was holding a meeting at the time and unclear if it was related to the session that was underway there. There's a witness on the AP, Tom Curry (ph), saying a man on a second floor balcony pulled a handgun and began firing across at a second man. Now, Tom Curry is an attorney for the city council. He didn't have any further details.

Once again two police officers injured according to one person on the scene there and the Associated Press giving us that report.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm basically getting the same information, Miles, coming across here. The Associated Press were kind of working the story.

And what you said so far, I'm looking to see if I can add to that. You mentioned the witness Tom Curry saying that a man pulled a handgun, began firing across at a second man. Curry, you mentioned, an attorney for the city council, didn't have any other details.

We're told that the entrances and the exits to the building have been sealed off. You saw obviously the stretchers, two individuals, looked like two men, possibly, in police uniforms being taken away on those stretchers. The medics pumping and, of course, trying to keep them breathing.

We're told the police officers including some of them in riot gear were seen running across the plaza here in front of the building once the shooting had stopped. It was not immediately known if the shooter -- it still is not known whether the shooter is in custody yet.

O'BRIEN: Once again, though, the reports of dozens of gunshots across the second floor. Reporters who have a press room on that floor ducking for cover. And right now just trying to get a sense of whether they're trying to cordon off that scene, whether there is an attempt right now underway to arrest a suspect. That is a little piece of information that remains elusive to us right now.

The city council, as we say, was in session at that moment. And apparently, according to a witness, there was somebody on the second floor balcony that pulled a handgun and began firing across at a second man. Of course, there is no public building in the United States these days that doesn't have a fair degree of screening for individuals entering those buildings. The question immediately in our minds is how a handgun might have gotten into City Hall in New York City.

PHILLIPS: We're told that New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg was inside his second floor office when this shooting occurred but is unharmed. And that's according to his press secretary that the mayor is unharmed since the shooting took place. City Hall building has not been completely evacuated right now.

Once again, if you're just tuning in, gunshots fired at New York's City Hall, downtown Manhattan. There were two injured individuals being removed from the building, taken away via stretcher. You're seeing these pictures courtesy of our affiliate WABC in New York. Police helicopter hovering the scene over City Hall there.

O'BRIEN: And couple that with the witness report that there were two police officers injured in that attack. And we did, in fact, see two injured parties carried to gurneys and on to ambulances where they were taken away.

PHILLIPS: Police officers including some in riot gear were seen coming across the plaza in front of the building once the shooting stopped. They've been trying to secure the building, we are told . Not everybody has been evacuated. We do not know how many people have been injured in this shooting that has taken place at City Hall. We have only seen two individuals being carried out on stretchers, possibly in police uniforms.

Tom Curry, a witness being quoted in the Associated Press, said that he saw a man on the second floor balcony pulling out a handgun and he began firing across at the second man. Curry is an attorney for the City Council. And that was all that we could get from him.

Let's listen in for just a moment. One of our other affiliates in New York City, WCBS. We're going to listen to the broadcast for just a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Councilman, I know it was wild and it is tough to answer the question, did it look like he was targeting certain people or that it was a random all over the place?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looked like he had someone in mind because the people he was walking by, I didn't see him shooting at them. He was shooting the people -- he was shooting at someone specifically that was on the floor. And he didn't seem to be just randomly shooting all over the place. He was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at somebody and that's the person that was down and then he went down.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK. So you saw two people go down, one the shooter and then one his target?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK. What is the scene now right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, we all in the committee room, many council members are here and staff members. The police have the chambers secured. We're still inside. They don't want us to leave yet. They came in and told us that the outside, of course, was a crime scene now and they don't want us outside.

This is shocking. You know, all of us are in a state of shock that something like this could go down. Security people usually are checked when they're coming in. We have metal detectors, don't know how this person was able to get in with a weapon.

So all of us in the state of shock and disbelief. I thank God that most the people are safe and I just pray that those who were injured are going to be all right.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Councilman you were saying it looked like he was targeting somebody...

O'BRIEN: All right, we're going to leave that broadcast for just a moment. We are joined on the line here by Councilman Michael McMahan who, I believe, was a witness to all that we saw. Councilman McMahan, what did you see? What did you hear? MICHAEL MCMAHAN, NYC COUNCILMAN: Yes, we were assembling on the floor of the City Council chamber, during that part of the business known as the ceremonials where members of the public were in the front of the chamber receiving proclamations. We had not yet begun the formal part of our session. About half the council members on the floor and a lot of members of the staff and some of the public were gathered on the back.

And then the chamber also has a balcony up above. I saw two men walking on the balcony and then one stopped and all of a sudden there was a gun and he shot four or five shots into a person in front of him it seemed. And that person want down into an aisle of the balcony. He pointed one or two more shots down, fired those. There was a brief pause and then there was another shot and it appeared that the shooter was struck and he fell down in the direction of where the shot he was firing.

You know, then all pandemonium broke out when people realized what was happening. Everybody made for cover. And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) what seemed like a long time but really rather quickly the police stormed into the chamber, the police, and they secured (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and now they're in the process of going through all of City Hall to make sure that there's no more danger.

We are all being held in a committee room off the side of the chamber, about 150 people. And there are a lot of people upset and worried and it's not a pretty scene at all.

O'BRIEN: Let's back up for just a moment. The person, did you get a look at the person who was firing the shots, first of all?

MCMAHAN: Yes, he was a male, I would say, in his late 40s, either a lit skinned African-American or a dark skinned Hispanic. He was wearing a khaki-colored suit. He was thin. Probably about 5'10" to 6', I would say.

O'BRIEN: All right, as far as those he was shooting at, there is a report -- we had been reporting just a few moments ago via the Associated that Press maybe police officers were targeted. Did you have any sense as to who the victims were?

MCMAHAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) no idea who the victim is. There's a lot of rumors flying around in City Hall right now. But we haven't been told anything official. And I don't want to say anything for the fear of being wrong and that would be a double tragedy.

But certainly there are two bodies (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we understand one is deceased and one is being worked on. But as to who -- it was clear, though, that the person who did the shooting with the silver gun was aiming at one particular person. It wasn't a random shooting. It was very intentional.

O'BRIEN: All right, so just to get it straight here, the number of victims here, a total, including the shooter is two, the number of people shot?

MCMAHAN: That's what we know as of now. We don't know of any others at that point.

O'BRIEN: Do we know who would have shot the individual who began all of this or was it self-inflicted, perhaps?

MCMAHAN: It's not -- no one is really sure. At that point things were going pretty fast. It was like a delayed shot and the shooter went down. But it wasn't clear where the shot came from.

O'BRIEN: OK. And was anything said, anywhere along the way here?

MCMAHAN: No. I mean people just started screaming right away. There was nothing -- the shooter seemed very quiet and didn't shout anything out and just seemed very determined in his terrible activity.

O'BRIEN: The shooter as best you know is deceased?

MCMAHAN: No. All we know is that one person is deceased and one we believe is being worked on but we don't mow the status of that person.

O'BRIEN: All right. And give me a sense, Councilman, I haven't been in City Hall too recently, the level of security there and screening. It's hard to imagine how someone could get a handgun inside there.

MCMAHAN: It really is. It was a silver gun, looked like the shape of maybe a 9-millimeter but I can't say for sure.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE) when you come into City Hall, you go through a magnetometer. You have to come through the magnetometer away from the building of City Hall. And then when you come in the main entrance you have to go pass another security desk. So it is certainly hard to imagine, although, as we learn in these terrible times, nothing's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) when there's such a desire to do it.

O'BRIEN: All right, and one final thought here, Councilman, and then I'll let you go. Did you have the sense that the shooter was very specific in his targeting? Was there one individual that he had in mind?

MCMAHAN: Yes. There was no question in my mind that this was not a random act but one that was intentioned against someone who this individual person knows because all the shots went to the one victim. There was no attempt to get anybody else.

O'BRIEN: So the subsequent shots were not as if they were go after others?

MCMAHAN: Exactly. It looked like, you know, I hate to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) like you see on TV, someone with pumping additional bullets into the victim.

O'BRIEN: Wow, all right. Councilman Michael McMahan, thanks under great duress the for joining us and shedding quite a bit of light on all this. We appreciate it -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right, if you're just tuning in these pictures coming to us via NY-1 in New York City. A dozen gunshots we're told, rallying across the second floor of City Hall today reportedly injuring two people inside the building here in Lower Manhattan.

According to Councilman Michael McMahan who Miles just spoke with he is saying that he believes that one individual is deceased, another one possible still holing on. We did bring you pictures early on of two individuals coming out on stretchers, medics working on them. Possibly a police officers. It looked like they might have been in uniform. Here's the [pictures that we have from earlier via WABC of those two victims who worry shot in this shooting. Still trying to figure out if the shooter has been captured or if the shooter is dead.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired July 23, 2003 - 14;31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right more coming in to us now on a breaking story. And that's a live picture right now of what appears to be a victim being taken to a gurney, two of them. There's a report from the Associated Press there were two police officers injured in a shooting at New York City -- City Hall, Lower Manhattan.
Live pictures from our affiliate WABC from their helicopter as you see this happen before you. And they appear to be conducting CPR on at least one of the victims -- actually both of them right now.

The gunshots were fired shortly after 2:00. About a half hour ago. A spokesman for the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, says the mayor was in his office at the time of the shooting, was not harmed. Just to repeat that, the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, in his office, was not harmed.

Police in helmets and bulletproof vests have cordoned off -- it is unclear at this juncture what is the disposition of the shooter, if there's a suspect in custody. We do know, according to the Associated Press, that on the scene there are reports of two police officers injured and that would certainly be born out by the pictures you just saw there as two injured people were carried off into those two ambulances. Apparently in fairly serious condition as they were conducting CPR on them at the time desperately trying to restart their hearts at that occasion.

Let us listen in for just a minute to the broadcast we're getting from our affiliate WABC for just a moment. OK. We don't have any audio from them right now as we watch the ambulances prepare to depart.

No signs apparently of additional victims right now as the two ambulances make their way to hospital. As we say, just to recap, if you're just tuning in now, we're talking about City Hall, Lower Manhattan, shots were fired in the second floor about a half hour ago, as the ambulances drive off. Dozen shots in all. Not immediately known if that shooter -- he or she is in custody.

City council was holding a meeting at the time and unclear if it was related to the session that was underway there. There's a witness on the AP, Tom Curry (ph), saying a man on a second floor balcony pulled a handgun and began firing across at a second man. Now, Tom Curry is an attorney for the city council. He didn't have any further details.

Once again two police officers injured according to one person on the scene there and the Associated Press giving us that report.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm basically getting the same information, Miles, coming across here. The Associated Press were kind of working the story.

And what you said so far, I'm looking to see if I can add to that. You mentioned the witness Tom Curry saying that a man pulled a handgun, began firing across at a second man. Curry, you mentioned, an attorney for the city council, didn't have any other details.

We're told that the entrances and the exits to the building have been sealed off. You saw obviously the stretchers, two individuals, looked like two men, possibly, in police uniforms being taken away on those stretchers. The medics pumping and, of course, trying to keep them breathing.

We're told the police officers including some of them in riot gear were seen running across the plaza here in front of the building once the shooting had stopped. It was not immediately known if the shooter -- it still is not known whether the shooter is in custody yet.

O'BRIEN: Once again, though, the reports of dozens of gunshots across the second floor. Reporters who have a press room on that floor ducking for cover. And right now just trying to get a sense of whether they're trying to cordon off that scene, whether there is an attempt right now underway to arrest a suspect. That is a little piece of information that remains elusive to us right now.

The city council, as we say, was in session at that moment. And apparently, according to a witness, there was somebody on the second floor balcony that pulled a handgun and began firing across at a second man. Of course, there is no public building in the United States these days that doesn't have a fair degree of screening for individuals entering those buildings. The question immediately in our minds is how a handgun might have gotten into City Hall in New York City.

PHILLIPS: We're told that New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg was inside his second floor office when this shooting occurred but is unharmed. And that's according to his press secretary that the mayor is unharmed since the shooting took place. City Hall building has not been completely evacuated right now.

Once again, if you're just tuning in, gunshots fired at New York's City Hall, downtown Manhattan. There were two injured individuals being removed from the building, taken away via stretcher. You're seeing these pictures courtesy of our affiliate WABC in New York. Police helicopter hovering the scene over City Hall there.

O'BRIEN: And couple that with the witness report that there were two police officers injured in that attack. And we did, in fact, see two injured parties carried to gurneys and on to ambulances where they were taken away.

PHILLIPS: Police officers including some in riot gear were seen coming across the plaza in front of the building once the shooting stopped. They've been trying to secure the building, we are told . Not everybody has been evacuated. We do not know how many people have been injured in this shooting that has taken place at City Hall. We have only seen two individuals being carried out on stretchers, possibly in police uniforms.

Tom Curry, a witness being quoted in the Associated Press, said that he saw a man on the second floor balcony pulling out a handgun and he began firing across at the second man. Curry is an attorney for the City Council. And that was all that we could get from him.

Let's listen in for just a moment. One of our other affiliates in New York City, WCBS. We're going to listen to the broadcast for just a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Councilman, I know it was wild and it is tough to answer the question, did it look like he was targeting certain people or that it was a random all over the place?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looked like he had someone in mind because the people he was walking by, I didn't see him shooting at them. He was shooting the people -- he was shooting at someone specifically that was on the floor. And he didn't seem to be just randomly shooting all over the place. He was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at somebody and that's the person that was down and then he went down.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK. So you saw two people go down, one the shooter and then one his target?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: OK. What is the scene now right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, we all in the committee room, many council members are here and staff members. The police have the chambers secured. We're still inside. They don't want us to leave yet. They came in and told us that the outside, of course, was a crime scene now and they don't want us outside.

This is shocking. You know, all of us are in a state of shock that something like this could go down. Security people usually are checked when they're coming in. We have metal detectors, don't know how this person was able to get in with a weapon.

So all of us in the state of shock and disbelief. I thank God that most the people are safe and I just pray that those who were injured are going to be all right.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Councilman you were saying it looked like he was targeting somebody...

O'BRIEN: All right, we're going to leave that broadcast for just a moment. We are joined on the line here by Councilman Michael McMahan who, I believe, was a witness to all that we saw. Councilman McMahan, what did you see? What did you hear? MICHAEL MCMAHAN, NYC COUNCILMAN: Yes, we were assembling on the floor of the City Council chamber, during that part of the business known as the ceremonials where members of the public were in the front of the chamber receiving proclamations. We had not yet begun the formal part of our session. About half the council members on the floor and a lot of members of the staff and some of the public were gathered on the back.

And then the chamber also has a balcony up above. I saw two men walking on the balcony and then one stopped and all of a sudden there was a gun and he shot four or five shots into a person in front of him it seemed. And that person want down into an aisle of the balcony. He pointed one or two more shots down, fired those. There was a brief pause and then there was another shot and it appeared that the shooter was struck and he fell down in the direction of where the shot he was firing.

You know, then all pandemonium broke out when people realized what was happening. Everybody made for cover. And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) what seemed like a long time but really rather quickly the police stormed into the chamber, the police, and they secured (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and now they're in the process of going through all of City Hall to make sure that there's no more danger.

We are all being held in a committee room off the side of the chamber, about 150 people. And there are a lot of people upset and worried and it's not a pretty scene at all.

O'BRIEN: Let's back up for just a moment. The person, did you get a look at the person who was firing the shots, first of all?

MCMAHAN: Yes, he was a male, I would say, in his late 40s, either a lit skinned African-American or a dark skinned Hispanic. He was wearing a khaki-colored suit. He was thin. Probably about 5'10" to 6', I would say.

O'BRIEN: All right, as far as those he was shooting at, there is a report -- we had been reporting just a few moments ago via the Associated that Press maybe police officers were targeted. Did you have any sense as to who the victims were?

MCMAHAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) no idea who the victim is. There's a lot of rumors flying around in City Hall right now. But we haven't been told anything official. And I don't want to say anything for the fear of being wrong and that would be a double tragedy.

But certainly there are two bodies (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we understand one is deceased and one is being worked on. But as to who -- it was clear, though, that the person who did the shooting with the silver gun was aiming at one particular person. It wasn't a random shooting. It was very intentional.

O'BRIEN: All right, so just to get it straight here, the number of victims here, a total, including the shooter is two, the number of people shot?

MCMAHAN: That's what we know as of now. We don't know of any others at that point.

O'BRIEN: Do we know who would have shot the individual who began all of this or was it self-inflicted, perhaps?

MCMAHAN: It's not -- no one is really sure. At that point things were going pretty fast. It was like a delayed shot and the shooter went down. But it wasn't clear where the shot came from.

O'BRIEN: OK. And was anything said, anywhere along the way here?

MCMAHAN: No. I mean people just started screaming right away. There was nothing -- the shooter seemed very quiet and didn't shout anything out and just seemed very determined in his terrible activity.

O'BRIEN: The shooter as best you know is deceased?

MCMAHAN: No. All we know is that one person is deceased and one we believe is being worked on but we don't mow the status of that person.

O'BRIEN: All right. And give me a sense, Councilman, I haven't been in City Hall too recently, the level of security there and screening. It's hard to imagine how someone could get a handgun inside there.

MCMAHAN: It really is. It was a silver gun, looked like the shape of maybe a 9-millimeter but I can't say for sure.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE) when you come into City Hall, you go through a magnetometer. You have to come through the magnetometer away from the building of City Hall. And then when you come in the main entrance you have to go pass another security desk. So it is certainly hard to imagine, although, as we learn in these terrible times, nothing's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) when there's such a desire to do it.

O'BRIEN: All right, and one final thought here, Councilman, and then I'll let you go. Did you have the sense that the shooter was very specific in his targeting? Was there one individual that he had in mind?

MCMAHAN: Yes. There was no question in my mind that this was not a random act but one that was intentioned against someone who this individual person knows because all the shots went to the one victim. There was no attempt to get anybody else.

O'BRIEN: So the subsequent shots were not as if they were go after others?

MCMAHAN: Exactly. It looked like, you know, I hate to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) like you see on TV, someone with pumping additional bullets into the victim.

O'BRIEN: Wow, all right. Councilman Michael McMahan, thanks under great duress the for joining us and shedding quite a bit of light on all this. We appreciate it -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right, if you're just tuning in these pictures coming to us via NY-1 in New York City. A dozen gunshots we're told, rallying across the second floor of City Hall today reportedly injuring two people inside the building here in Lower Manhattan.

According to Councilman Michael McMahan who Miles just spoke with he is saying that he believes that one individual is deceased, another one possible still holing on. We did bring you pictures early on of two individuals coming out on stretchers, medics working on them. Possibly a police officers. It looked like they might have been in uniform. Here's the [pictures that we have from earlier via WABC of those two victims who worry shot in this shooting. Still trying to figure out if the shooter has been captured or if the shooter is dead.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com