This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/31/nyregion/police-shooting-lower-manhattan.html

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Multiple Deaths Reported as Driver Careens Down Bike Path At Least 8 Reported Dead as Truck Careens Down Bike Path in Manhattan
(about 1 hour later)
A man on Tuesday afternoon drove a pickup truck down a lengthy stretch of bike path next to the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan, striking numerous people. The vehicle collided with a school bus from Stuyvesant High School. Eight people were killed when a man drove 20 blocks down a bike path beside the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon before he crashed his pickup truck, jumped out with fake guns and was shot by police officers, the authorities said.
There were some reports the man fired gunshots from the truck, but officials could not immediately confirm that. The police said a suspect had been taken into custody. Federal authorities were treating the incident as a terrorist attack and were taking the lead in the investigation, a senior law enforcement official said. Two law enforcement officials said that after the attacker got out of the truck, he was heard yelling, “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.”
Officials said as many as six people had been killed and 11 injured. Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference: “Based on information we have at this moment, this was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians.”
A large section of the West Side Highway was closed for the investigation as hundreds of officers, including the bomb squad, responded to the scene. Two law enforcement officials said the driver of the truck, a 29-year-old man who came to the United States in 2010, was in grave condition. One official said he had rented the truck in New Jersey.
The police said they were not looking for additional suspects. The motorist, driving south down the path in a Home Depot rental truck, hit numerous people as nearby Stuyvesant High School was letting out for the day, officials said. At least 15 people were injured, but officials were still working to assess the extent of the casualties.
Students at Stuyvesant High School reported they saw a man shooting from a pickup truck that appeared to have been rented from Home Depot, and then saw the truck turn and strike a school bus. “He jumped out of the truck with a pellet gun, yelled, ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and the First Precinct lit him up,” a law enforcement official said, referring to a police officer who had been on post nearby and who the authorities credited with saving lives.
A video posted to social media showed bodies and bicycles on a bicycle path. Some people were being treated for injuries near a mangled school bus. Witnesses described gunshots ringing out, people scrambling for cover and a street strewn with bodies and crumpled bicycles.
Several nearby buildings, including Stuyvesant, were placed on lockdown, with those inside told to take shelter. The driver, who was shot several times, was being treated at a nearby hospital. He had crashed the truck into a school bus. It was unclear if anyone was on the bus. The police said they were not looking for additional suspects.
The Fire Department said officials responded just after 3 p.m. to reports of a mass casualty at Chambers and West Streets. A large section of the West Side Highway was closed for the investigation as hundreds of officers, including the bomb squad, responded to the scene. The truck came to a rest near Chambers Street, facing eastbound.
Reports on Twitter indicated that people heard gunfire. Students at Stuyvesant High School reported that they saw a man shooting from a pickup truck, and then saw the truck turn and strike a school bus.
Ramon Cruz, 27, said the driver appeared injured. Then Mr. Cruz said he heard someone yell, “He’s got a gun, run, run!”
Several nearby buildings, including Stuyvesant, were placed on lockdown.