A New Jersey congressman said on Saturday a man who shot dead a security guard at a federal building in Manhattan on Friday evening, before killing himself, was a whistleblower who had been given “a raw deal” by the agency that fired him.

Representative Bill Pascrell said several members of his staff worked with the gunman, Kevin Downing, to resolve his case. He said Downing never showed any violent tendencies, and said he had no idea why Downing acted as he did on Friday.

Law enforcement authorities said the 68-year-old opened fire at a federal building on Varick Street that houses an immigration court, a passport processing center and a regional office for the Labor Department, killing security guard Idrissa Camara. Authorities said Downing then walked towards an elevator where he encountered another employee, then shot himself in the head.

Camara worked for FJC Security Services, police said. He had been supposed to leave work at 4pm but had agreed to stay for an extra shift, his company said.

Downing was fired from his job at the New York City office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1999.

A New Jersey newspaper, the Record, reported that in 2013, Pascrell wrote a letter to the Labor Department saying: “There is evidence to indicate Mr Downing’s termination was inappropriate because it was in retaliation for his communication with congressional staff regarding what he believed to be waste and abuse present in the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

After the shooting, federal agents swarmed Downing’s home in Fort Lee, New Jersey, searching for anything that could help them understand it.



“We’re in the very early stages of the investigation and are working to establish his motive for coming here, if he had an intended target beyond the security officer, and what the motive was behind the crime,” said James O’Neill, a chief with the New York police department.



There was no indication the shooting was terrorism-related, O’Neill said.

John Miller, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, said detectives were trying to piece together Downing’s work history.

Asked about the prospect Downing was a whistleblower, Miller told reporters: “That would go to potential motive. Part of the background we’re conducting now is, ‘What was his motive?”’



Miller said Downing had also collected Veterans Affairs benefits, but investigators were unsure which branch of the armed services he served in. A VA spokeswoman said the agency had offices in the building but did not immediately respond to questions about Downing’s military service.

The FBI was assisting in the investigation because Camara was working as a contractor for a federal agency, police said. Camara was armed but never had a chance to defend himself, the security company said.

“Camara ... was an extraordinary senior guard who was well trained, cared deeply about his job and knew that building better than anyone else,” said Michael McKeon, a spokesman for the security company.

Hector Figueroa, the president of Camara’s union, 32 BJ SEIU, said he was horrified by the news.

“Security officers around the city and country serve on the front line each and every day to keep us safe and secure,” Figueroa said.

“We are heartbroken that one of our own has fallen. We hope some of our questions in the face of this terrible tragedy will be answered. For now, we are keeping Camara’s family and loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”