The man who carried out the deed had intended to attack the NFL's office, but ended up on the wrong floor by mistake, according to two high-ranking people within the police for Bloomberg. Instead of going to floor 5 where the American football league's office is located, he took the elevator to floor 33, according to the information.
The lone perpetrator was caught on surveillance cameras when he entered the lobby of the skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue with an automatic weapon at 6:30 pm, local time, on Monday.
The man opened fire immediately and shot dead a police officer and a woman who tried to take cover. The shooter then proceeded to the elevators where he killed a security guard and shot and injured another man, who is now being treated for serious injuries at the hospital, says police chief Jessica Tisch at a press conference.
Found dead
On floor 33, he shot another person to death at the office of the real estate company Rudin Management. The shooter was then found dead on the same floor, after having shot himself. A manifesto and notes were found on him. His social media indicates that he had a football career that ended after he suffered a head injury.
It is a lone perpetrator, according to the police. He has had documented mental problems, says police chief Jessica Tisch.
Several major companies are located in the skyscraper.
Conflicting information
Bloomberg initially reported that it was Blackstone's premises, but that information does not match the police's information. Colleagues at other asset managers expressed concern after an employee at Blackstone shared a photo on social media showing sofas stacked on top of each other to barricade the office.
Among the tenants in the building is also the auditing firm KPMG, which sent a message to the staff.
The area, Midtown, is home to several five-star business hotels and a number of corporate headquarters, primarily in the financial sector.
