Gunshots Fired in New York City Council, Councilman and Gunman Dead

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, July 24, 2003

Gunshots Fired in New York City Council, Councilman and Gunman Dead

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A gunman who managed to bring a weapon into City Hall opened fire inside City Council chambers Wednesday afternoon, killing a councilman who crusaded against urban violence. A plainclothes police officer shot and killed the assailant, police sources said.

The shooter was a political opponent of the councilman, and had accompanied him into the building, a police source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The gunman's ties to the councilman apparently allowed him to bypass security, the source told the press.

"Obviously, there was a breakdown someplace," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was in his office at the time of the attack and unharmed. Bloomberg said the shooter did not go through the metal detector, and that all officials, including himself, must now go through the machines.

Brooklyn Councilman James Davis, a former police officer and outspoken presence on the council, died after being shot twice in the chest, a city official told the press, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

The gunman, Othniel Askew, 31, died a short time later at a hospital, according to another police source. The two mortally wounded men were found lying side by side in the balcony overlooking the chambers.

Source: Agencies

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