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In the wake of this morning’s Empire State Building shooting – in which Jeffrey Johnson is accused of killing a former coworker and wounding up to eight bystanders – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has issued a statement.

“Earlier this morning, a man who had been fired from his job about a year ago began shooting. He killed one person, at least nine shot. Some may have been accidentally shot by the police,” Bloomberg said as a summary, adding:

“I ask everyone to keep victims in their thoughts. This is a terrible tragedy, and it would be no doubt more tragic without the heroic acts of the policemen. Every day, the police put their lives on the line to save lives bravely.

“NYC is the safest big city in the country, but we are not immune to the national problem of gun violence. This is the beginning of an investigation. Two are dead — the perpetrator and his victim. He does not appear to have a criminal record [at this time]. We’re just starting this investigation.”

Bloomberg is an outspoken supporter of stricter gun control laws. It will be interesting to see what sort of action, if any, he takes in response to this tragedy.