A man fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself in the heart of Manhattan on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 1, according to reports.
The 62-year-old man reportedly shot the 56-year-old woman in the stomach at the busy Astor Place and Cooper Square in the East Village at around 7.55 a.m.
Authorities said that woman died and the man is in critical condition. Their identities have not yet been released to the public.
The apparent murder-suicide attempt reportedly took place as the victim was dismounting her Citibike during the morning rush hour, per the Metro.
West block of Cooper Union. Heard gunshots on the way to work. Two bodies strewn across the concrete taken to the hospital moments later. pic.twitter.com/ZWsfGAfA29
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) November 1, 2017
Security guard Colbert Watson witnessed the shooting on his way to work this morning.
“I was coming from Astor Place, coming up this block, and by the time I reached adjacent to where the bike rack is, the Citi Bike rack, I heard like a ‘pop.’ I thought it was maybe a tire or something burst,” he told New York Daily News.
He saw the man in front of the woman, apparently shooting her, then kicking the woman’s foot, as if he was making sure she was dead, he explained.
“Then after, ‘pop’ again. Then he fell down.”
“At that time, I still didn’t understand what was happening—that’s when everybody started scampering who was on the block,” he said.
“It’s really tough to see that. Looking at the lady with the blood coming from her,” he told the news outlet.
There was a shooting near Astor Place/Cooper Union pic.twitter.com/H1Hbb7rPk3
— QUEENBXXCH (@QUEENBXXCH) November 1, 2017
Jerry Simo, 48, who works close by, also witnessed the attack. He said he saw a man in a suede jacket approach the woman and then shoot her in the chest.
“He didn’t say a word. He shot her in the chest both times. It was point-blank range. Her feet went in the air and she hit the floor,” he told dnainfo.com.
He added, “Then he put the gun under his chin and finished himself.”
New York University tweeted about the incident and asked students to avoid the area.
According to the Mail Online, the man was seen wearing a silver bike helmet before pulling the trigger.
Dennis Santiago told the Mail he was driving past, heard two gunshots, then saw the man pull the trigger under his own chin. Santiago jumped out of his car and went over to take a look.
“I put my foot on the gun, it seemed small, a .22 Calibre maybe,” he said. He kept his foot on the gun until police arrived so nobody would take it, he said.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and have not released any further information.
