The shooting on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine took place near a crowd of hundreds, just after a carol service ended.
A man was fatally shot by the police after he opened fire near a crowd of hundreds of people gathered for a Christmas concert on Sunday afternoon outside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights, the authorities said.
It was not immediately clear if the gunman was shooting at anyone in the crowd, but witnesses said he appeared to be angling his shots upward. No one else was struck by gunfire, the police said.
Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea said at a news conference outside the church that the man opened fire from behind a marble pillar in front of the church’s large wooden doors, which were decorated with Christmas wreaths.
Three officers who were working nearby returned fire, striking the gunman at least once in the head, Commissioner Shea said.
Commissioner Shea said a motive for the shooting was not yet clear, but according to several witnesses, the man had yelled, “Kill me.” The police said they had tentatively identified the man, but did not release his name pending confirmation. The man had a “lengthy criminal history,” the commissioner said.
He said police recovered two semiautomatic firearms from the scene along with a bag filled with gasoline, wire, rope, multiple knives, tape and a Bible.
“It is by the grace of God today that we don’t have anyone struck,” Commissioner Shea said.
The shooting began minutes after the end of the concert, said Lisa Schubert, a cathedral spokeswoman who witnessed the incident.
“It was just beautiful, and then at the end this person started shooting. Everybody is in shock,” she said. “The shooter could have killed a lot of people. There were hundreds of people here, and he shot at least 20 times.”
Ms. Schubert said she was standing on the driveway of the cathedral when the shooting began.
“We had been planning this concert for weeks as a gift to the community, and the weather was beautiful, so the whole community was out, physically distanced with masks, people with dogs and people with babies,” she said. “It was something like we haven’t seen since last March.”
Matthew Bishop, 56, who was watching the concert with his wife, son and friends, said that after the concert ended, people were invited inside the church. Moments later, the shooting started, he said.
“Suddenly everyone looked at each other and started running,” he said.
Yuri Nakamura, 36, and her husband were inside the cathedral after listening to the concert. The singers had finished “Ave Maria” and more people were coming in when a loud hammering sound erupted, Ms. Nakamura said.
The couple did not see the shooting, but soon security officers and police began rushing in.
Madeline Tsingopoulos attended the concert and listened to the choir sing a mix of carols, hymns, spirituals and modern tunes, she said. She had hoped to shake the conductor’s hand, but she decided to walk back to her home nearby. Within minutes, she heard helicopters.
“It was one of the most beautiful, spectacular, peaceful events,” she said. “It was very welcomed during this pandemic. Fortunately, I left right away, then almost immediately, we heard helicopters overhead.”
Narine Sargsyan was in the area at the time of the shooting and said it sent terrified people running down Amsterdam Avenue, some of whom rushed to the nearby Hungarian Pastry Shop where employees let them inside.
“We heard shooting like fireworks, and everyone was like, ‘There was a shooting at this event in front of the church,” said Ms. Sargsyan, who was at the shop. “People were panicked because no one knew what was going on. They were running down the street and hiding themselves wherever they could. Some kids hid in the bathroom.”
Dozens of police vehicles with their lights flashing lined Amsterdam Avenue outside the church’s three-block front on Sunday night. Counterterrorism officers, some with long guns, milled about as crowds of civilians waited behind yellow police tape in front of the church.
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and many of the leaders of the diocese were present for the concert and witnessed the shooting, including the Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III, the dean of the cathedral, and the Rt. Rev. Andrew M.L. Dietsche, the bishop of New York. Both men declined to speak to a reporter on Sunday.
“The Cathedral of St. John the Divine parishioners, concert audience, clergy and staff are all safe after a shooting at our outdoor Christmas Carols for the Community Concert today,” Isadora Wilkenfeld, another spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Our prayers are with all those affected by this.”
Corey Kilgannon and Dana Rubinstein contributed reporting.
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