On the morning of August 24 , 2012 , 58-year-old Jeffrey T. Johnson shot and killed a former co-worker on the building 's Fifth Avenue sidewalk . He had been laid off from his job in 2011 . Two police officers confronted the gunman , and he aimed his firearm at them . They responded by firing 16 shots , killing him but also wounding nine bystanders . Most of the injured were hit by bullet fragments , although three took direct hits from bullets
shot and killed
2012 Empire State Building shooting
Empire State Building