A one - block area surrounding the Empire State Building at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street in midtown Manhattan was blocked off as dozens of ambulances from area hospitals , police and fire trucks converged on the area .

NEW YORK ( Reuter ) - A gunman killed one person and wounded seven others on the crowded 86th - floor observation deck of the Empire State Building Sunday before turning the pistol on himself , police said .

The dead person was the intended target and the gunman was in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital , according to police . No further information about the victims and their relationship to the gunman was released .

The shooting occurred about 5 p.m. EST and sent hundreds of tourists on the 86th floor of the skyscraper scattering for safety . Witnesses said they dived to the floor as bursts of fire rang out .

A St. Vincent 's Hospital spokesman said three people wounded in the shootings were being treated there . He said two of them were French nationals , and that they were in serious condition .

The hospital spokesman also said witnesses to the incident were being treated for emotional trauma .

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A one - block area surrounding the Empire State Building at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street in midtown Manhattan was blocked off as dozens of ambulances from area hospitals , police and fire trucks converged on the area .

The Empire State Building , which opened in 1931, is one of New York City 's top tourist attractions , and at 1,250 feet high it ranked for years as the world 's tallest building .

It has been featured in hundreds of movies , including the famous climactic scene of the film classic , " King Kong , " in which the giant ape clung to its side as he battled a squadron of attacking planes .

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