Initial reports are almost always wrong, but multiple news reports state that on Friday, a former employee walked into Bronx Lebanon Hospital in a white lab coat concealing an AR-15 type rifle. A female doctor was killed and six other people were injured. The photo above is alleged to be the weapon used.
While the hospital itself was not technically a gun free zone, gun ownership is prohibited in New York City without a permit. Even those who have a permit are not allowed to posses the legal gun outside of their home or an approved range, turning the City of New York into a vast gun free zone for the law abiding.
The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013 made conventional AR rifles illegal in New York state.
Recent news reports indicate the New Yory City permit process is experiencing a great deal of corruption. Civil rights advocates fear that there will be calls for additional gun control both nationally and in New York. I will be interesting to see how any new restrictions can be imposed with a virtual prohibition now in place.
The Nigerian born killer’s immigration status is unclear. According to the ATF, “An alien admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa is prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing a firearm or ammunition.”
MSNBC has reported that the killer’s AR-15 had been “modified” to remove the pistol grip and used a magazine with only 10 round capacity. This could mean that the rifle was legal under the New York SAFE Act.
New York City
| Subject/Law | Long guns | Handguns |
| Permit to Purchase? | Yes | Yes |
| Firearm registration? | Yes | Yes |
| Owner license required? | Yes | Yes |
| Carry permits issued? | Yes | Yes |
| Assault weapon law? | Yes | Yes |
| NFA weapons restricted? | Yes | Yes |
New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill said fire and police officials responded to the report of an active shooter around 2:50 p.m. The hospital’s fire alarm activated. Some reports indicate that the killer brought in gas canisters to the nurses station and attempted to set himself on fire.
Officers found the killer dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound wearing a white lab coat.
Police officers found a female doctor dead and six additional victims wounded. They were transported to the trauma room, five with serious injuries and one with a gunshot wound to the leg, O’Neill said. The wounded are expected to recover.
According to New York State Education Department records, the Nigerian born killer graduated from Ross University, went to medical school on the Caribbean island of Dominica and had a limited permit to practice medicine as an international medical graduate to gain experience in order to be licensed.
After leaving the hospital amid allegations of sexual misconduct. He worked as a pharmacy technician at Metropolitan hospital in Manhattan until 2012 when he filed for unemployment.
The featured photo was shared on Twitter.
