When Will the Madness End?? Shooting in NY City Hall

#1 07-23-2003, 03:34 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast...ing/index.html

jll79 · #2 07-23-2003, 04:06 PM

I don't know how I will get to school. All those trains take me to school and the bus will take longer

FeeFee · #3 07-23-2003, 04:11 PM

N.Y. Councilman Dies in City Hall Gunfire
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By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - A gunman opened fire inside City Council chambers Wednesday afternoon during a routine meeting, killing a councilman and wounding another person on a second-floor balcony.

AP Photo

AP Photo
Slideshow: Shooting at NY City Hall

Brooklyn Councilman James Davis, a former police officer, died after being shot twice in the chest, a city official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Davis, an outspoken presence on the council, joined the police department in 1983 after he was allegedly beaten by two white officers.

In 1991, Davis, who is black, started "Love Yourself Stop the Violence," a not-for-profit organization founded to address growing urban violence.

At least a dozen shots echoed across the second floor of the landmark lower Manhattan building, with people diving for cover one floor below as the hall's rotunda filled with screams. Police evacuated the building following the shooting.

"It was so loud you couldn't hear the direction," said City Council photographer Dan Luhmann. "At first, it was absolute stillness. And then people rushed out and ducked under their desks and it was chaotic."

The shooter was one of about 100 people in the balcony inside the second-floor council chambers when the gunfire began after 2 p.m, according to eyewitnesses.

"I looked up, and I saw someone shooting downward," said City Council member David Yassky. A security guard returned fire, according to Yassky.

Police sought a man in a blue suit in connection with the shooting, which continued for about three minutes.

Security, particularly since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was amped up at City Hall. Metal detectors were installed at either end of the plaza outside the building, along with metal barricades.

The two victims were rushed from the front of the building on stretchers, loaded into ambulances and brought to New York University Downtown Hospital with gunshot wounds, said hospital spokeswoman Vanessa Warner.

An emergency worker said the two victims were lying side by side in the balcony, both with bullet wounds to the chest.

Police officers, including some in riot gear, were seen running across the plaza in front of the building once the shooting stopped. It was not immediately known if the shooter was captured.

The City Council was holding a meeting on Wednesday, but council member Peter Vallone Jr. said there was nothing controversial on the day's agenda.

The entrances and exits to the building were sealed off, and a stretcher was rushed inside by police in flak jackets.

FeeFee · #4 07-23-2003, 04:51 PM

The second victim died. They are now saying that this is the shooter, a former political rival of James Davis who had purportedly joined Davis' team.

A frigging sad mess I tell ya!!!

All I can say is, heads are gonna roll in City Hall and the City better prepare itself for a lawsuit for breach of security.

Honeykiss1974 · #5 07-23-2003, 05:54 PM

COUNCILMAN JAMES DAVIS

A Brooklyn native and former police officer, Councilman James Davis, D-Brooklyn, has been involved in public policy since 1983, when he was falsely arrested (and, he said, beaten) for stealing a car that was, in fact, his mother's.

After graduating from Pace University, Davis became a corrections officer at New York's infamous Rikers Island. In 1991 he went to work for the Transit Police, then transferred to the NYPD in 1993. Later that same year, he went to work as a social science instructor at the police academy.

Davis headed "LOVE YOURSELF" Stop the Violence, a non-profit organization he founded in 1990. Among other efforts, the group in 1994 convinced Toys 'R' Us to stop selling realistic-looking toy guns. Davis was elected to the New York City Council in November 2001.

brickhouse492 · #6 07-23-2003, 07:04 PM

Oh my goodness. I've been kicking it with you guys and I didn't even know. I have to call my sister. Later ya'll.

soulfulremix · #7 07-23-2003, 07:26 PM

Thanks to Honeykiss & Fee Fee for posting the most updated information.

I heard about the shooting from a customer at my job and its really disheartening. Its great that Davis was able to overcome the arrest and become a councilman.

My prayers are with his family.

soulfulremix

MortishaDST · #8 07-23-2003, 07:41 PM

This is truly sad....Ironically, Channel 7 news has reported that Councilman Davis has a picture of Malcolm X over his desk at his office...now he has died in the same manner as Malcolm X.

My prayers and sympathy go out to his family.

MortishaDST

Quote:

Surely Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord Forever"

soulfulremix · #9 07-23-2003, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Ironically, Channel 7 news has reported that Councilman Davis has a picture of Malcolm X over his desk at his office...now he has died in the same manner as Malcolm X.

Now, thats deep.

soulfulremix

kiml122 · #10 07-24-2003, 08:27 AM

I saw this yesterday on the news when I got home. What I want to know is how did he get the gun by the metal detectors? Also it was reported that Mr. Davis had a gun as well in his ankle holster but couldn't get to it in time, again what is it with these guns getting by the metal detectors. Was it because one was a councilman, and the other was his opponent and they were known in city hall, so they didn't have to go thru the metal detectors. If this was the case, that is crazy, you see what happened right.

toocute · #11 07-24-2003, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kiml122
Was it because one was a councilman, and the other was his opponent and they were known in city hall, so they didn't have to go thru the metal detectors. If this was the case, that is crazy, you see what happened right.

Yes...that is exactly what happened and anyone with a council person can bypass security also. This is going to stop. Even Mayor Bloomberg has to pass through the detectors now.

FeeFee · #12 07-24-2003, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by toocute
Yes...that is exactly what happened and anyone with a council person can bypass security also. This is going to stop. Even Mayor Bloomberg has to pass through the detectors now.

Unfortunately it had to take Mr. Davis's death to warrant this new rule.

zetafg · #13 07-24-2003, 01:35 PM

It's sickening!!!

For whatever reason, it always takes an unfortunate tragedy for the security to realize how serious it is for EVERYONE to go through the metal detectors. Just because someone is familiar, or has a high position, doesn't stop them from reaching their breaking point.

What's the point of spending ALL this money on these things, and not have them used properly!!! If they aren't going to be used then put the money to good use, like our school funding.

My prayers go out to Councilman Davis' family.

Peaches-n-Cream · #14 07-24-2003, 02:11 PM

In order to get into the courts in NYC, you must pass through the metal detectors and have your bag searched. They are very strict about that. I was stopped for a while because my hair barrette set off the alarm. I was really surprised to learn that the same security wasn't in place at City Hall. Apparently, security waved the City Council members and the people with them through bypassing the metal detectors. This is how the shooter was able to get the gun in the building. The police officer who shot the gunman was given a commendation from the Mayor today.

This is such a tragedy. I feel so sorry for the Councilman, his family, friends, and collegues.

stardusttwin · #15 07-24-2003, 08:39 PM

The problem with security procedures was the councilmembers themselves - if you were walking with a councilmember they would get upset if security stopped a someone in their "entourage" to be searched - it was at their insistence that tag-a-longs were able to bypass security. As of 5pm yesterday everyone including the Mayor goes through the detector-no matter how long the lines are. Trust-if Bloomberg had tried to enforce this on his own prior to yesterday's tragedy there would have been holy heck raised over such a minor issue.

Mr. Davis was a retired police officer carrying a licensed weapon. Apparently the assassin caught him completely off guard when he started shooting. Its almost a blessing that Davis wasn't able to reach for his gun-there were a lot of bystanders in the balcony.

I knew Mr. Davis personally and was shocked when I got home and heard what happened. A sad day indeed.

BTW- the officer that killed the assassin was promoted to Detective today.