Security guard killed when gunman opens fire at New York City federal building

A gunman walked into a federal immigration courthouse and fatally shot a security guard before taking his own life Friday, the NYPD said.

The man entered a building on Varick Street, the site of a federal courthouse that handles immigration matters, at 5:05 p.m. and pulled out a handgun as he approached a metal detector in the facility’s lobby, New York Police Department Chief James P. O’Neill told reporters during a brief news conference.

The suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, shot the security guard at close range and moved past the security checkpoint, then shot himself in the head when he was confronted by a second employee, O’Neill said.

The second employee was not a security guard, according to O’Neill, who said it was unclear why the gunman decided to commit suicide or attack the courthouse.

“At this point, there is no indication of a nexus to terrorism,” O’Neill said.

The wounded security guard was taken to Lennox Hill Hospital in cardiac arrest, according to a New York Fire Department spokesman. The victim, who was not identified, was pronounced dead on arrival at Lennox Hill, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

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