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Multiple People Shot, At Least Two Dead, Outside Empire State Building

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Several people have been shot, at least two fatally, in a police-involved shooting outside the Empire State Building this morning. Early police scanner reports indicated the shooting was related to a robbery but it now appears it may have been a workplace dispute. The gunman was fatally shot by the police. A innocent woman also appears to have been killed in the crossfire. According to the FDNY there are “several” people being taken to nearby hospitals while they mitigate the scene.

The shooting began just after 9 a.m. Exactly how many people were shot is still unclear but appears to be between 8 and 10. At 9:44 a.m. it came over the news scanners that the perp may be a recently fired worker who returned to the building where he had worked. According to one person who claims to be a witness the shooter had a specific target:I was about 50 feet away from the guy who was killed, and it was definitely a targeted shooting. Apparently he walked right up to the guy and shot him in the head. I was one of the first there, thinking I could take my jacket off to help the guy who was shot, but he was gone already.

Just FYI, this has nothing to do with the ESB. It just happens to be right across the street from where it occurred. Its not a shooting that took place in the building, or some kind of terrorist activity. Just stating this because some would assume its a guy who opened fire in a tourist attraction, and that was not the case.

ABC7 reports that at least one victim was shot in a nearby Duane Reade when a bullet went through a window. Reportedly, “Some shooting victims were found inside the lobby of the Empire State Building, others found outside.””The shot rang out, and everybody started running,” one witness told the News. “Oh man, there must have been 12 or 13 shots. It was amazing.”Meanwhile, the Empire State Buildings observatory is open to the public.Bloomberg is now on the scene and expected to speak at 11 a.m. Stay tuned for updates.

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more:Multiple People Shot, At Least Two Dead, Outside Empire State Building: Gothamist.

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NYC Cab Drivers Ferrying Hookers, Could Receive Fines; Women Protest

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A bill seeking to penalize cab drivers who knowingly aid prostitution by ferrying hookers is being targeted by a group of women who say the legislation will prevent cab drivers from picking up legitimate women in scantily-dressed attire.

One woman who protested outside of City Hall on Thursday told The New York Post, “They don’t even know who is a prostitute or not! You don’t have a shirt on that tells if you’re a prostitute or not.”  The new bill is also hoping to enforce mandatory training for those applying for a Taxi and Limousine Commission license on how to identify prostitutes and provide them with available resources on how to escape sex-trafficking. The Post notes the scene of Thursdays protest was filled with “hot babes” and bartenders.

An official from the tax union echoed their concerns and proposed, “I will challenge any one of you to tell me which one of [these women] you would consider to be a prostitute. They’re all sexy.”  As we predicted in May when the bill was first introduced, the scenario in which a driver distributes sex-trafficking pamphlets to non-hookers will provide some painfully awkward moments for said driver just trying to do his job and avoid a staggering $10,000 fine.

Queens Councilman Dan Halloran criticized the bill as a waste of public funds, “Here we’re going to spend $2 million dollars and educate cabbies to be social workers and informants for the police department.  What are we thinking?  How about keeping our after-school programs open?  Two-million dollars goes a long way to do that.  How about not closing the 20 firehouses the mayor is slating to close so the public is safe?”

via NYC Cab Drivers Fined for transporting Hookers