2 Dead After Manhattan Home Depot Shooting

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Two men are dead following an apparent murder-suicide inside a Home Depot store in Manhattan, authorities said.

The shooting occurred around 2:45 p.m. Sunday at the store on West 23rd Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

The 31-year-old gunman, who was an employee at the store, shot a supervisor in the lighting department before turning the gun on himself, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported.

The gunman was declared dead at the scene, and the 38-year-old supervisor was taken to Bellevue Hospital with gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival, police said.

"The victim who went to Bellevue was shot, we believe, three times. That's all preliminary," said NYPD Captain Steve Wren.

A .38 caliber revolver was recovered by police at the scene, authorities said.

Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes confirmed it happened in the store, but didn't have any additional details.

As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, employees stood outside the store as NYPD officers with rifles were leaving the scene Sunday night.

"It sounded like really, really heavy fireworks," said Emilio Bantero.

Bantero was shopping inside when he heard the gunshots one aisle over.

"I thought it can't be happening, this only happens on TV, I can't be experiencing this," he said. "And when I looked next door, that's when I saw both bodies."

Shoppers and employees were quickly evacuated. Witnesses described a chaotic scene.

Emillio Pantello told WCBS 880 that after the shooting, "there was a massive run, and people knocked me on the floor."

One person said he heard employees telling customers to drop whatever they had in their hands and to run out the back door, WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported. Other people ran to a nearby restaurant to call 911.

Another group of people who were shopping in the store were corralled across the street afterward and people who were trying to get into the store were instructed to run away, Miller reported.

Police officers in bulletproof gear were seen inside the store.

Upset Home Depot workers outside the store soon heard the gunfire involved two of their own.

"One of the associates came in with a gun and shot his supervisor and turned the gun on himself," said employee Jonathon Geoffries. "If it's who they say it is, they were all my friends, including the shooter. So it's a real tragedy."

While the supervisor was working at the time, police said they believe the shooter was not scheduled to work.

Police said they're still investigating a possible motive for the shooting.

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