UPDATE: It happened in an instant: As witnesses looked on in horror, authorities said, a merchant shot and killed himself Saturday afternoon in the busy downtown Westwood shopping district.

The 42-year-old victim dashed into an alley behind LaViano's Jewelers on Westwood Avenue, next to Fairview Automotive on Fairview Avenue, and took his life in front of his horrified brother and a nearby restaurant owner around 1:45 p.m., authorities said.

Police cordoned off the area as forensic investigators from the Bergen County Sheriff's Office collected evidence inside and outside the jewelry shop.

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