CHELSEA — Two people were dead after an employee shot his manager inside the Home Depot on West 23rd Street Sunday afternoon, then turned the gun on himself, sources said.
The gunfire broke out at about 2:45 p.m. at the store at 40 W. 23rd St., near Sixth Avenue, officials said. Eyewitnesses on social media reported crowds of people running from the store.
Sources said the shooter was employee Calvin Esdaile, 31. He walked into the Home Depot and shot his 38-year-old supervisor, Moctar Sy, a manager, in the abdomen and upper left chest before shooting himself in the mouth, according to sources and police.
Esdaile was found dead in Aisle 12, and Sy was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, but died at 3:30 p.m., police said.
A .38-caliber revolver was found on the floor in Aisle 12, according to police.
Esdaile was not scheduled to work today, sources said.
Esdaile's motive is not yet known, sources said, and there was no visible dispute between the men prior to the incident. Esdaile lived in Brooklyn and Sy lived in the Bronx, police said.
"We’re deeply saddened by this tragedy," said Stephen Holmes, a spokesman for The Home Depot. "We are fully cooperating with the authorities on their investigation of what appears to have been an isolated incident."
The shooting sent customers and employees fleeing into the street, according to witnesses. An Instagram user posted photos taken outside the store, and described employees crying.
