New York City workers described scrambling in office areas when a gunman was swallowed up by panic as he opened fire and killed four people on Monday.
People poured out of skyscrapers into busy streets of American cities, some hanging in the air and others hiding in nearby buildings.
The violence took place in the evening, inside the 345-story building of Park Avenue, home to the National Football League (NFL) offices, and financial giants Blackstone and KPMG.
Nekeisha Lewis said she was having dinner with friends in the square when she heard the gunshots.
“I looked up and saw the first wall on the first floor shattered,” she told NBC News.
“I realized ‘Oh my god, this is a gunfight,'” she said. “It feels like you’re almost in a war zone.”
Ms. Lewis later said she saw an injured man running out of the building.
“When he arrived at us, he said, ‘Help, help, I was shot.’”
Ms Lewis said she and her partner helped the man leave the building before police took over.
“Literally, this is the most terrible situation I’ve ever been to,” she said.
Local TV footage showed a group of people evacuated the office building hours after the murder.
Another witness, Jessica Chen, told ABC News that she was watching a speech with dozens of others when she “heard a layer of fast-sequent shooting.”
She and the others met the conference room and used the table to stick the table to the door.
“To be honest, we’re really scared,” she said, texting her parents and telling them she loves them.
Some workers from another nearby building heard loud noises and saw people picking up food from local outlets while running, the Associated Press reported.
“It’s like a crowd panic,” said Anna Smith, explaining that she and others returned to their workplaces to find shelter. She said they were told they could leave in about two hours.
A BBC reporter at the scene reported seeing dozens of police cars, at least one person with bleeding from the chest was taken away on a stretcher.
Bystanders reported hearing what sounded like gunfire, and police told people in the area to shelter in nearby buildings.
At the time of the incident, mom Bouhenni worked at a nearby Sip & Scoop coffee shop, told the BBC that she had seen dozens of people from surrounding buildings being evacuated.
They held the top of their heads, she said.
Ms Bouhenni said she recognizes that many of them are customers in the store. “It’s so scary for them and I hope they can come home safely.”
Report with Indrani Basu
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