Rep. Pascrell: Gunman In Federal Building Shooting Got 'Raw Deal' In 1999 Firing

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New Jersey congressman says the man who gunned down a security guard at a federal building in Manhattan before taking his own life had been given "a raw deal" by the federal agency that had fired him over a decade ago.

Kevin Downing's efforts to garner attention to his 1999 firing from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics had caught the eye of Rep. Bill Pascrell.

PHOTOS: Fatal Shooting At Varick Street Federal Building

The former economist believed he was fired for whistle blowing on alleged corruption and public waste. He appealed his firing, but an administrative judge dismissed the appeal, saying Downing did not reveal gross mismanagement or waste of funds.

Pascrell said Downing contacted his office after the Democrat became Downing's congressman in a 2013 redistricting.

"We felt that this person had been given a raw deal to put it mildly and that there was no excuse for it and he had been treated very badly,'' Pascrell said.

Pascrell said he spoke with Downing on the phone and several members of his staff met with him over the last two years, most recently a few weeks ago.

"We have a case file on him. We spoke to him not that long ago," he told 1010 WINS' Derricke Dennis.

He said the caseworker described Downing as "always polite and "always thankful."

Pascrell went as far as to write a letter to prospective employers, saying "Had such legislation been in place when Mr. Downing was terminated, there is strong reason to believe it would have been found to have been inappropriate."

Web Extra: Letter from Rep. Pascrell

"We sent a letter to perspective employers explaining that he lost his position, because of his whistleblowing," Pascrell told WCBS 880's Jim Smith.

Pascrell said he did not know what made Downing, a military veteran, open fire at the building at 201 Varick St. Friday.

"What made him snap?'' Pascrell told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I don't know.''

Downing had also endured a string of misfortunes as his live-in fiancée died of breast cancer, his house was in foreclosure and he suffered health problems himself, according to Pascrell.

"None of this at all ever indicated to any of us that this was going to happen,'' Pascrell said.

The 68-year-old Fort Lee, New Jersey resident walked into the building in SoHo around 5 p.m. and fatally shot 53-year-old security guard Idrissa Camara.

Camara was supposed to leave work at 4 p.m. but had agreed to stay for an extra shift, his company said.

Downing then walked toward an elevator where he encountered another employee, and then shot himself in the head, authorities said.

On Saturday, Pascrell also released a statement, saying "I am devastated by the tragic event that transpired at the Department of Labor. My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of security officer Idrissa Camara."

Early Saturday morning, federal agents swarmed Downing's home, searching for anything that could help them understand his motive.

There was no indication the shooting was terrorism-related, NYPD Chief of Department James O'Neill said.

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