One World Trade Center, the Freedom Tower, stands in lower Manhattan during commemoration ceremonies for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on September 11, 2020 in New York City. Hundreds of people have gathered for the 19th anniversary of the event at Ground Zero to remember the nearly 3,000 who were killed on that day. But this year, due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, only family members are allowed to gather at the 9/11 Memorial plaza. There will also not be an in-person reading of the victims’ names at the memorial and instead there will be a pre-recording of names by family members broadcast throughout the plaza and live-streamed online. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)By Shannon Stapleton
The attack unfolded shortly after 11 a.m. in the second-floor manager's office at a Stop & Shop store in West Hempstead on New York's Long Island, said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
The suspect, dressed in all black, was identified by police as Gabriel DeWitt Wilson, 31, of Hempstead and Long Beach, New York. He is either a current or former employee of the Stop & Shop, Ryder said.
"He did have a small handgun," Ryder said. "We don't know the reason for the shooting."
As of mid-afternoon, Nassau County police and other authorities had surrounded an apartment complex in nearby Hempstead, about 25 miles east of Manhattan, according to a Reuters photographer near the scene.
The attack comes at a time when the nation is reeling from a series of mass shootings. Among them, a gunman killed eight people in three Atlanta-area spas, and 10 people including a police officer were shot and killed at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
In Tuesday's shooting, witnesses interviewed on local media reported hearing at least six shots. Some reported to news crews that the suspect may have jumped onto a bus to escape, but police could not confirm that account.
"It's an ongoing investigation," Ryder said, who added that the two wounded people were alert and conscious and being treated at a local hospital.
The deceased person was only described as a 49-year-old man. It is unclear if the dead or wounded were also employees of the store.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was closely monitoring the situation and that the New York State Police have been directed to assist local authorities.
"My team and I are in constant contact with first responders on the ground," Cuomo said. "I'm praying for the victims, and my heart breaks for their families and loved ones." (Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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