Times Square Shooting: Police Kill Scam Artist Who Opened Fire
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) A scam artist opened fire on police in busy Times Square on Thursday afternoon and was shot and killed by an officer near the famed Marriott Marquis hotel, police said.
Photo: A bullet hole in a shattered souvenir shop window in the garage of the Marriot Marquis Hotel in Times Square.
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No one else was injured. The 25-year-old suspect was recognized by a plainclothes sergeant on a task force that monitors aggressive panhandling, and took off running through the hotel's passenger drop-off area, chief New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.
Photo: Officers inspect the Mac 10 machine gun and nearby magazine.
PICTURES: Times Square Shooting
At some point, the man turned and opened fire on the officer, continued running, then turned and fired again, Browne said. The plainclothes officer returned fire, killing the suspect, Browne said.
Dave Kinmahan, a tourist from Boston, was parking his car in a spot below street level at the hotel when he saw one man shooting another.
Kinmahan said he was about 20 yards away and wondered, "Is this real or this a movie?"
The hotel is located in the Broadway theater district and near the heart of Times Square, in an area that includes the Minskoff Theatre, home to the popular show "The Lion King." Bullets hit the box office of the Marquis Theater where "White Christmas" is now playing, cracking the window.
It's not clear how many shots were fired. Browne described the suspect's gun, which was recovered, as a pistol with a long clip.
Dozens of police officers surrounded the popular hotel, taping off the valet parking area as tourists and holiday shoppers stopped to watch the commotion.
Kathleen Duffy, a spokeswoman for New York City Marriott Hotels, said the shooting took place in a taxi pickup and drop-off area. Duffy said the shooting didn't involve any guests or hotel employees.
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