Deadly shooting near the Empire State Building

Eight people are believed to be wounded and at least two people are dead Friday after a shooting outside the Empire State Building in the Midtown area of Manhattan. The two victims include the gunman, who was shot and killed by police near the tourist entrance of the landmark skyscraper.

The shooting occurred at around 9 a.m. ET at Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. The New York Post reported that the incident was the result of a co-worker dispute; the gunman was fired from his job on Thursday and returned to his office today to target his boss, local and federal officials told NBC News, according to a tweet. The gunman, who was shot by police at the scene, and a bystander are both dead.

The shooter followed his coworker down 33rd Street, and shot him outside of Legend's Bar, the Post reported. It is unclear if he fired into a crowd of pedestrians outside of the landmark building, or if pedestrians were caught in crossfire, reported the New York Daily News.

The number of fatalities has not been made official. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. ET.

Police cordoned off a one-block perimeter around the Empire State Building after the shooting. Around 10 a.m., a lone tourist bus headed down Fifth Avenue, and a guide could be heard over the bus's mic explaining they were nearing the landmark. As police waved the bus to detour down 36th Street, the guide was openly mystified. "I don't know what's going on, folks," he said, as the bus turned. By then the bus's passengers were looking up at the sky at a news helicopter floating overhead. Some stood, clutching their cameras.

Along 35th street, hundreds of people stood photographing the scene with iPhones and iPads. Officers could be seen standing in the middle of 34th street around a scene surrounded by police tape. Television producers roamed the crowd looking for witnesses. "Was anybody here when this happened? Was anybody here when this happened?" one NBC producer yelled.

Eyewitnesses told CNN that the gunman was using a rifle or shotgun.

Word of the shooting spread rapidly on social media networks.

"On 5th avenue surrounded by helicopters and police," @CeciliaHalling wrote on Twitter. "I'm very glad I wasn't 20 blocks further down half an hour ago."