Social media reports say there is a shooting in Manhattan where a federal officer has been shot as well as the shooter.
[UPDATE BELOW]
Police have confirmed that there’s been a shooting outside federal building in Lower Manhattan.
It happened outside of 201 Varick Street.
It’s not clear how many people were shot. Stay with Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing story.
NYPD racing to federal office building after report of officer shot. Updates on @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/V5TVO8mtEJ
— Ayana Harry PIX11 (@AyanaHarry) August 21, 2015
Getting rpts: Active shooter NYPD 1st Pct Varrick St. 1 perp shot 1 Federal officer shot. No further info
— Frank San Severino (@franksansev) August 21, 2015
DEVELOPING: Police say that there's been a shooting on King and Varick in Manhattan. Stay tuned for more info. pic.twitter.com/cceFGWF1xI
— WNYC (@WNYC) August 21, 2015
We just drove by Hudson St. And there's major chaos due to a Shooting in #Manhattan #NewYork
— Elly Filho (@EllyFilho) August 21, 2015
Police are responding to reports of shots fired near a federal building in SoHo.
Chopper 4 showed an extensive emergency presence near the scene on Varick Street Friday afternoon.
People who live and work in the area posted messages on social media saying they were told not to leave their buildings.
The 12-story building near the shooting was reported houses several federal offices, including an immigrant court, post office and branch offices for the Department of Justice and Department of Labor.
We’ll update as more info is available.
UPDATE: It appears the first reports were wildly off on this story
A man walked into the lobby of a federal building in SoHo, shot a private security guard in the head and then shot himself, federal law enforcement sources say.
The 53-year-old guard died shortly after the shooting on Varick Street; the gunman, identified as a 68-year-old man from Fort Lee, New Jersey, also was killed, law enforcement sources say.
It wasn’t immediately clear which agency the guard was contracted to work for.
Law enforcement sources say the shooting appears to be random and authorities are trying to learn more about the motive of the shooter. Three firearms were recovered at the scene.
Chopper 4 showed an extensive emergency presence near the scene as law enforcement converged on the building from the ground and the air.
The 12-story building houses several federal offices, including an immigration court, environmental offices, post office and branch offices for veterans’ affairs, the Department of Justice and Department of Labor.