St. John the Divine shooter identifi ed Bronx man
BY JASON COHEN
The gunman who opened
fi re outside of the famous Cathedral
of St. John the Divine in
Manhattan on Sunday has been
identifi ed as a Bronx man with
a history of violence.
On Dec. 13, Luis Manuel
Vasquez Gomez of 217 East 176
Street, Tremont, began shooting
in front of the church while yelling,
“Kill me.” Police responded
and killed him at the scene.
In 1989, he was charged with
criminal possession of a controlled
substance as he sold
a quantity of controlled substance
to an undercover offi cer.
A year later, Vasquez Gomez
was charged with attempted
murder after he fi red a gun at a
woman in Harlem.
Hundreds of bystanders, who
gathered to watched the holiday
caroling fl ed in all directions as
offi cers moved in. The streets
between West 111th and West
113th Streets cordoned off from
pedestrians and traffi c while
SWAT trucks, police cruisers,
and ambulances remain on the
scene as NYPD offi cials investigate.
Cops recovered two semi-automatic
weapons from the suspect’s
possession as well as a
bag containing, gasoline, rope,
wire, multiple knives, tape, and
a Bible.
No one else was injured by
the gunfi re, though two police
offi cers wound up being treated
for tinnitus.
The concert, featuring
masked, socially-distanced
members of the Cathedral
Choir, took place on the cathedral
steps at 3 p.m., and ended
right around the time shots
rang out.
“Our Carols for the Community
event this afternoon was
interrupted by an armed individual,
who set off a round of
gunfi re into the air from our
front steps. Thankfully, no injuries
were reported among the
attendees and the suspect is in
custody,” according to a statement
issued on the cathedral’s
Twitter account. “It is horrible
that our choir’s gift to New York
City, a much-needed afternoon
of song and unity, was cut short
by this shocking act of violence.
We will remain strong, together,
and serve as a safe space for
prayer, meditation and celebration
during the upcoming holiday
season.”
Additional reporting by Robert
Pozarycki & Dean Moses
New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea held a police conference at the cathedral
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