Shortly after a Christmas concert, a heavily armed man climbed the steps in front of a church in the US metropolis of New York and shot him in the air. Three police officers struck him down and the attacker died.
Police chief Dermot Shea said this on Sunday (local time) at a press conference. According to Shea, shortly after the performance of a choir on Sunday afternoon, the man had made his way past the singers to the church doors of the episcopal cathedral Saint John the Divine in Manhattan. From there he fired two semi-automatic weapons.
Motive unclear
At that time there were still numerous people in the vicinity, including on the steps and at the church entrance. It was “the grace of God” that no one was hit except the attacker, Shea said. The three officers fired a total of 15 shots. One of them hit the attacker in the head.
The man’s motive was unclear. He is known to the police for numerous crimes, Shea said. In addition to the two weapons, the police hid a bag that was also believed to belong to the attacker. Inside, according to Shea, was a full gas can, a Bible, several knives, and wire and rope. The police will now evaluate the video recordings and continue to investigate.
“Shocking Act of Violence”
The congregation of the Episcopal Cathedral addressed the public on Sunday with a statement: “Our ‘Songs for the congregation’ event this afternoon was interrupted by an armed man who fired several shots into the air from the steps of our cathedral Thankfully, there were no injuries among the passers-by. It is terrible that the gift of music that our choir wanted to make to the City of New York, an important community afternoon at these times, was interrupted by this shocking act of violence. Our community remains strong and offers a safe place for prayer, meditation and celebration in the upcoming Christmas season. We are grateful for the quick reaction of the authorities and send our prayers to all concerned. “
The Bishop of the Diocese of New York, Andrew Dietsche, who resides at St. John Divine Cathedral, attended the incident as a witness and reports: “During the incident, I was standing in front of our church and saw the shooter right in front of our large bronze gates It is important to emphasize that the man did not shoot people, so no one was injured. The shooter was struck down by the police and subsequently lost his life. I ask your prayers for the people who were at work for our cathedral, for the community, and for all those who were traumatized by this incident – but also for the Sagittarius. The afternoon was supposed to bring us wonderful Christmas music, but it became the hour of terror and brought shock to this self-destructive violence. “
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