NEW YORK – A laid-off women's accessories designer shot a former coworker to death near the Empire State Building, causing a chaotic showdown with police Friday in front of one of the world's best-known landmarks. Police killed the suspect and at least nine others were wounded, some by stray police gunfire, city officials said.

The gunshots rang out on the Fifth Avenue side of the building at around 9 a.m., when pedestrians packed sidewalks and merchants were opening their shops.

"People were yelling 'Get down! Get down!", said Marc Engel, an accountant who was on a bus in the area when he heard the shots. "It took about 15 seconds, a lot of 'pop, pop, pop, pop, one shot after the other."