Shootings

A Man Was Shot In The Head Near Columbus Circle Yesterday. What The Hell Happened?

By John Surico Tue., Dec. 11 2012 at 6:00 AM
Categories: Make It Stop, John Surico, Shootings
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At around 2pm yesterday, Brandon Woodward, 31, was walking around Columbus Circle near 58th Street. Visiting the Big Apple from Los Angeles, he temporarily left behind a criminal record and a young girl but, according to his father, he was enrolled in law school to clean his act up. Except, in a horrific matter of seconds, his life was ended.

In the middle of a constantly crowded area, NYPD authorities told reporters that an unknown gunman in a brown hoodie ran up to Woodward and shot him point blank in the head directly in front of St. Thomas Choir School. Then, as Woodward fell to the ground, the gunman ran about 60 feet and hopped into a Lincoln sedan apparently waiting nearby, which had an idle driver in front seat ready for escape. The two took off down Seventh Avenue as the bloody man was taken to West Side Medical Center. He was later pronounced dead.

As of now, police have no idea who the gunman was or why Woodward was targeted - the motive was completely unclear. And the fact that it happened near Columbus Circle is way too reminiscent of what happened near the Empire State Building this past summer, leaving many people, us included, very uncomfortable.
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columbus circle, midtown, NYPD, shooting
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Shootings

Another Knife-Wielding Foe Taken Down by NYPD in Queens

By John Surico Sat., Sep. 8 2012 at 11:03 AM
Categories: John Surico, NYPD, Shootings
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NYPD
As if the Times Square encounter with that nutjob and his knife in broad daylight wasn't already imprinted in our short-term memory.

In Queens, police received a tip at around 5pm that a 27-year-old man was holding a knife to his own neck. Once they arrived on the scene, the tip came true as the NYPD surrounded the man. After numerous calls for the man to put the knife down, he began to walk towards the cop with the knife waving high in the air.

One of the NYPD officers shot the approaching target in the shoulder, a presumably non-life-threatening shot. However, when the 27-year-old was taken to nearby Jamaica Hospital, he was pronounced dead at around 7:30pm.

Unfortunately, it turns out that yesterday was an overall bloody day for the NYPD: this fatal incident rides off the coat tail of another shooting in which the police were responsible. 

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bronx, Cops, queens, shooting
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Shootings

New Jersey Shooting Update: Suspect An Ex-Marine; Killed Two Before Turning Gun On Self

By James King Fri., Aug. 31 2012 at 10:28 AM
Categories: Guns, Shootings
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The suspect in this morning's mass-shooting at a New Jersey grocery store has been identified as an ex-Marine who's worked at the store for the last two weeks. Additionally, authorities say he shot two people before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities say the suspect entered the Pathmark store in Old Bridge about 4 a.m. -- as employees were preparing to open the store at 6 a.m. -- decked out in camouflage and carrying an AK-47 and an automatic handgun. He reportedly also was wearing body armor.

The suspect fired at least 16 shots, killing two people -- a man and a woman -- in different parts of the store. The women reportedly was only 18 years old.

The gunman then turned the gun on himself.

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empire state building shooting, jeffery johnson, new jersey, pathmark, shooting
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Shootings

New Jersey Shooting Leaves Three Dead -- But It's Not At The Empire State Building, So Go About Your Day

By James King Fri., Aug. 31 2012 at 8:10 AM
Categories: Media, Shootings
mediasucks.jpg
For the second Friday in a row, there's been a mass-shooting in the New York area -- but it isn't at the Empire State Building, so it's apparently only kinda news.

Authorities in New Jersey say three people -- including the gunman -- are dead following an early-morning shooting spree at a grocery store in Old Bridge, just south of Staten Island.

The gunman, police say, entered a Pathmark grocery store just before 4 a.m., as employees were stocking shelves before the store was scheduled to open at 6 a.m.

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empire state building, empire state building shooting, jeffery johnson, mass shooting, new jersey
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Shootings

Eviction Was "the Final Straw" For ESB Shooter

By John Surico Sun., Aug. 26 2012 at 1:18 PM
Categories: Make It Stop, John Surico, Shootings
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Since Friday, New Yorkers have been caught up in the hysteria that happened outside of the Empire State Building - an encounter that left shooter Jeffrey Johnson and his boss dead while nine others lay wounded by bullets dispersed from two NYPD officers (the bureau confirmed this yesterday). 

As with any shooting, especially one of this caliber in such a densely packed area, reporters are digging deep into Johnson's past to find out what made him into a ticking time bomb. Turns out the Post has discovered what it was: his issued eviction this past year.

The statement transcends the common knowledge attributed to the shooter - he was a bird-watcher blogger in Central Park, his neighbors told reporters he was a loner and co-workers described him as a no-show to office events - but the eviction, according to the NYPD, is what made Johnson murderous on Friday. The notice topped off his unemployed morning routine, in which he would wake up, throw on a suit, grab some Mickey D's and head home.

After four years on East 82nd Street, Johnson was no longer able to pay the rent for his Upper East Side apartment. So he turned to bloodshed to calm his financial woes.

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empire state building, empire state building shooting, esb shooting, shooting
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Shootings

NYPD Commish Ray Kelly Confirms That, Yes, the Cops Accidentally Shot 9 People Yesterday

By John Surico Sat., Aug. 25 2012 at 11:53 AM
Categories: Shootings
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The scene from yesterday.
Yesterday, sources told the Voice that eight victims at the Empire State Building shooting were hit by bullets fired by the police officers at the scene. 

There, we were told that two officers fired off 16 rounds at Jeffrey Johnson, the white-collar employee who sought revenge against his ex-boss, and somehow, these shots deflected off nearby objects to hit passerby's fleeing the scene. In the press conference immediately after the deadly encounter, Mayor Bloomberg told reporters that there was a chance it was the cops' fault for the wounded spectators.

Well, NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly not only confirmed our sources' information (and Bloomberg's chance) this morning but the number of those accidentally shot by the NYPD has raised one up to nine in total. 

Kelly was quoted as saying that the police duo's shots hit "flowerpots and other objects around, so... their bullets fragmented, in essence, that's what caused the wounds." The commish also told reporters that, as of Friday evening, six of the wounded were released from medical care while three of them remained under hospital supervision.

So there you have it: the two NYPD officers accidentally shot nine people yesterday. Luckily, none of those deflected shots were fatal. But, to quote Gail Collins's column in this morning's New York Times, "This isn't surprising: it's only in movies that people are good shots during a violent encounter;" afterwards, she pointed to a statistic that showed a 34% accuracy rate for police officers in the line of duty. 

Unfortunately, target practice can only get you so far.

[jsurico15@gmail.com/@JSuricz]

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empire state building, empire state building shooting, nypd
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Hate Crime

Neo-Nazis Next Door? Here's a List of New York's Hate Groups

By Victoria Bekiempis Tue., Aug. 7 2012 at 2:57 PM
Categories: Hate Crime, Shootings, Victoria Bekiempis

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Southern Poverty Law Center
When details began emerging about the Oak Creek, Wis. massacre, reports indicated that the suspected shooter, Wade Michael Page, was a white supremacist and had played in a neo-Nazi band called "End Apathy."

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, had been keeping tabs on Page since 2000, when he reportedly tried to purchase products from another well-known hate group called the National Alliance.

Though there had been questionable claims about neo-Nazis in Greenpoint, Sunday's incident made us wonder: Are these kinds of groups -- be they neo-Nazis or anti-Sikh or anti-Muslim, etc. -- in New York?

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Shootings

Sikh Temple Shooting: What You Need To Know About The Wisconsin Massacre (UPDATE)

By Victoria Bekiempis Mon., Aug. 6 2012 at 10:37 AM
Categories: Shootings, Victoria Bekiempis

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Yesterday morning, a gunman entered a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis. and opened fire on congregants, killing six and wounding three -- including a police officer who is in critical condition.

Since the incident, additional details have emerged about the crime.

Here's what we know so far...

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Shootings

Colorado Shooting Suspect James Holmes Makes First Court Appearance -- "Freakish" Hair And All

By James King Mon., Jul. 23 2012 at 12:15 PM
Categories: Shootings
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James Holmes' rolled his eyes and interacted with no one during his initial court appearance this morning.
Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes just made his first court appearance since allegedly murdering 12 people and wounding dozens of others during Friday's shooting rampage in Aurora.

Holmes entered the courtroom -- sporting his "freakish" (as described by Fox News' Greta Van Susteren) orange hair -- and was seated in the jury box with one of his public defenders, away from the families of his many victims.

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carol chambers, colorado shooting, james holmes, shooting rampage
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Shootings

DEVELOPING: Aurora Police Venture Into Holmes' Booby-Trapped Apartment

By John Surico Sat., Jul. 21 2012 at 12:41 PM
Categories: Shootings
Thumbnail image for James Holmes.jpg
The face of James Eagan Holmes.
As we all know by now, yesterday marked the largest mass shooting in America's history, as suspect James Holmes, who is now in police custody, gunned down a total of 71 people, leaving 12 dead and 59 injured at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado - a town not too far from Columbine High School. 

The suspected killer was decked out in bulletproof apparel, dawning red hair and calling himself "The Joker" in front of police authorities. He carried with him a AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, shotgun and a .40-caliber Glock, leaving a handgun in his car; all items that Aurora Police Chief and former NYPD official Daniel Oates told the public that Holmes obtained legally. His motive is still unclear.

But, now, as the details grows deeper into Holmes's decline into mental insanity after dropping out of graduate school, the Aurora Police Department have begun the first steps of entering into Holmes's home to find out what the hell was behind his horrific murder spree. However, there's a sick twist: Holmes laced his apartment with booby traps, including explosives and an "unknown liquid," causing authorities to evacuate all nearby residents.


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