Multiple People Dead After Driver Hits Pedestrians in New York City, Reports of Shots Fired [Updating]

By Prachi Gupta  |  October 31, 2017 | 9:05pm
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The New York Times is reporting that as many as eight people may have been killed and 11 injured after a man drove a pickup truck through a bike lane and crashed into a Stuyvesant High School bus in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon. Law enforcement officials told the Times that the man was shot by police after he jumped out of the Home Depot truck with two fake guns. The Times could not confirm whether anyone was on the bus.

Some outlets are reporting that gunshots were fired, but officials were not able to confirm the report to the Times. One witness told HuffPost reporter Sebastian Murdock that he heard five gunshots:

Police have closed off a section of the West Side Highway and have brought in a bomb squad. Several buildings in the area, including Stuyvesant High School, are on lockdown.

Police have one suspect in custody and “no others outstanding,” per NYPD News’s Twitter account.

This post will be updated as more information is released.

Update 10/31, 5:13 pm: CNN reports that the FBI is taking over the case, which is being investigated as a terrorist incident:

Update 10/31 5:22 pm: ABCNews reports that the death toll is up to seven people.

Update 10/31, 5:24 pm: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the “particularly cowardly act of terror” in a press briefing on Tuesday evening, saying that 8 people are dead.

Gov. Cuomo condemned the “lone wolf” attacker and said there’s so far no evidence of a “wider scheme.” He announced a heavier police presence on Tuesday evening “out of vigilance and out of caution.”

Update 5/31, 5:30 pm: Police Commissioner James O’Neill relayed the timeline of events, saying that a driver entered the West Side Highway around 3 pm, driving through the bike lane at high speeds. It later hit a school bus, and after the collision, a 29-year-old man exited the vehicle, brandishing two handguns. A police officer shot the driver, who was taken to the hospital and is in police custody. A paintball gun and pellet gun were found on the scene.

Update 5/31, 5:38 pm: As the NYPD and FBI continues its investigation, “people should go about their business,” de Blasio said. “We are not going to be deterred.”

 
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