

[UPDATES BELOW] Police are on the scene following reports of a shooting near West and Chambers Streets at around 3 p.m. in Lower Manhattan this afternoon, according to NYPD and FDNY officials.

An FDNY spokesperson told Gothamist they had responders on the scene at the above location, and that the situation was "developing." Neither the FDNY nor NYPD was able to provide further information on the phone, although reports from witnesses on social media suggest the shooting took place on the West Side Highway.

We are responding to reports of shots fired in lower Manhattan. More details when they’re available — J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) October 31, 2017

According to the NYPD's Twitter account, there is a person in custody:

Due to police activity, avoid the area of Chambers Street/West St.

One person is in custody. Expect many emergency personnel in the area. pic.twitter.com/rSECr0LRCN — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 31, 2017

A Twitter account posted a video, purportedly of the scene:

VIDEO of the scene. pic.twitter.com/UVNnbtgapg — Buffing Actions News (@BuffingActions) October 31, 2017

A witness on Twitter reports two people dead, though that is not confirmed:

Two dead by my job pic.twitter.com/NcodvPS7Mq — Mike (@el_dorado91) October 31, 2017

There are also reports of multiple people hit by a driver, possibly along the Hudson River Greenway bike and jogging path.

#BREAKING: Multiple people reportedly hit by vehicle in Lower Manhattan, 1 in custody https://t.co/m1OiKbs9Ay pic.twitter.com/PAPy2t0kLQ — PIX11 News (@PIX11News) October 31, 2017

Witness: car hit people on West St bike lane, then crashed into school bus. Then driver started shooting. Cops: at least 4 hurt #breaking — Josh Einiger (@JoshEiniger7) October 31, 2017

The Mayor's office has reportedly been briefed, and a spokesperson said there is no active threat.

Mayor’s been briefed on extremely preliminary info. NO active threat. https://t.co/stFPJ01eo4 — Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) October 31, 2017

Stay tuned for updates.

Update 3:52 p.m.: The West Side Highway is reportedly closed southbound starting at 14th Street. There are also reports that the FDR is closed south of 34th Street.

West Side Highway closed, FDR shut south of 34th Street. Traffic is going to be hell. — Henry Williams (@digitalhen) October 31, 2017

Video shows blocked off West Side Highway in New York City after incident in lower Manhattan pic.twitter.com/BxuiKtlx4N — NBC News (@NBCNews) October 31, 2017

NBC reports that multiple people are dead, per a senior city official.

BREAKING: Multiple people are dead and several are injured following an incident in lower Manhattan, per a senior New York City official — NBC News (@NBCNews) October 31, 2017

The Times reports:

A suspect had been taken into custody after police officers in New York City responded on Tuesday afternoon to reports of a shooting or vehicle collision in Lower Manhattan, the authorities said. Initial reports said a van on the bike path had run down several people. At one point shots may have been fired, but it was not clear who had fired them. A law enforcement official said there were reports that several people were dead.

The NYPD is sending media to Greenwich and Chambers Streets.

All media responding to the incident in Lower Manhattan are asked to meet DCPI reps at Chambers Street and Greenwich Street. pic.twitter.com/p96qq0CQ1a — Martin Speechley (@NYPDSpeechley) October 31, 2017

We will continue to update.

Update 4:05 p.m.: The Daily News reports that witnesses saw a Home Depot truck run down riders in a bike path, then open fire from inside the truck.

"He shot about 15 times toward the pier and down West St," a witness told the tabloid.

Though there is no official death count as of yet, the Associated Press reports that witnesses say they have seen two bodies covered with tarps on the scene.

Both the mayor and the governor are on their way to the scene.

I have been briefed with preliminary information on the situation in Lower Manhattan and am heading to the scene. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 31, 2017

Update 4:15 p.m.: The Times reports that a driver in a pickup truck drove down the bike path, striking people and eventually hitting a school bus from nearby Stuyvesant High School. It's unclear whether shots were fired, but as many as six people were killed and 11 injured, according to the Times.

Authorities have confirmed a person is in custody, according to DNAinfo, which reports the incident occurred at around 3 p.m.

Update 4:24 p.m.: The NYPD's official Twitter account has confirmed there are several fatalities and multiple injuries in the incident. Police say a vehicle entered the West Street pedestrian/bike path near Chambers Street, struck multiple victims in the path, then continued south until it struck another vehicle. The suspect then "displayed imitation firearms," per the NYPD, and was shot by officers.

The vehicle struck multiple people on the path. There are several fatalities and numerous people injured. — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 31, 2017

The vehicle continued south striking another vehicle. The suspect exited the vehicle displaying imitation firearms & was shot by NYPD — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 31, 2017

The NYPD says the suspect is in custody.

Update 4:36 p.m.: According to an FDNY spokesperson, there are 15 injuries and six fatalities so far. Those numbers are preliminary and may change, the spokesperson said.

Update 4:53 p.m.: Thomas Kendrick said he was running north on the West Side Highway pedestrian path near Desbrosses Street with his headphones in shortly after 3 p.m.

"I heard a girl screaming and I looked over and it appeared that she fell off her bike," Kendrick told Gothamist. "People were helping her, so I figured OK, she fell off her bike and people are helping, so I kept running. I turn my head and someone is waving me down, telling me to call 911."

Kendrick then began walking north on the bike path.

"I saw three people together near her, lying on the ground, and they were all not conscious. They had their bikes near them and their bikes were destroyed."

Kendrick says the wreckage and bodies stretched for "multiple blocks, several hundred yards," north up the bike path. "I’m trying to shout at the police and point at the bodies and I continue walking up and I see a large police presence at Pier 40, so that sort of gave me a scale of how long the incident occurred," he said.

Kendrick added, "By the time I got up near Pier 40, police told me to turn around, so I walked back to where I stopped running, and a police officer told me to get off the path and get off the West Side Highway area because shots may have been fired."

Officials say there are a number of road closures.

Road closures: SB FDR Drive @ 34 St; NB FDR Drive open; 14 St & 23 St E River to Hudson & West St from 34 St to Chambers St. @NotifyNYC https://t.co/usq19ixjuh — City of New York (@nycgov) October 31, 2017

Update 5 p.m.: Tawhid Kabir, a 20-year-old BMCC student took the two videos below. He said, "I saw one guy with a gun, another guy was kind of heavy, chasing him. there were no people on street. I heard five or six gun shots. I thought it was an accident." He was on the Stuyvesant Bridge at the time.

Update 5:20 p.m.: A press conference is happening now. Mayor de Blasio has called the incident an act of terror, and said the death toll is now eight victims. You can read our story on the press conference here.

Additional reporting by Christopher Robbins and Jake Offenhartz.

