US: A New York council member and another person were shot dead inside City Hall yesterday in a bizarre incident that exposed huge security gaps in one of the most tightly guarded buildings in the US. Brooklyn council member Mr James Davis died after being shot twice in the chest, apparently by a political opponent he brought into the chamber with him, writes Conor O'Clery in New York
Police sources said last night there had, in fact, been a shoot-out and both gunmen were dead. Earlier, Lower Manhattan was shut down for hours as police in riot gear searched for a suspect, described as a man in a blue suit. There was panic and chaos in the council chamber as the gunshots exploded around 2 p.m. on a balcony overlooking the chamber containing some 100 people. Reporters in the nearby press room dived for cover and councillors ducked under their desks. Councillor David Werpin said he heard 20 to 30 shots and police shouted "Get out, get out!" The killer seemed to want a public stage to shoot Mr Davis, a church minister who, in 1991, started an anti-urban violence organisation called Love Yourself Stop the Violence. The breach in security stunned observers, particularly if it is revealed that two men with guns were able to shoot it out in the council chamber of the leading US city. Visitors entering City Hall, which is just two blocks from the site of the World Trade Centre, have to go through metal detectors. The assailant apparently entered with Mr Davis and activated the metal detector but Mr Davis said "He's with me", and was allowed to proceed. The Mayor Mr Michael Bloomberg told reporters: "It appears to be a random act, but we cannot allow this to go on, ever. This is an attack on all Americans." Mr Davis, an African American, joined the police department in 1983 after he was beaten by two white officers. His assailant, also an African American, was apparently unable to get on the ballot to oppose him. Mr Joel Rivera, the City Council majority leader, said Mr Davis was in the balcony talking to the shooter when the gunman "pulled out a silver gun, possibly a revolver."