Shots Fired at the UN

October 3, 2002 10:50 AM

Shots Fired at the UN - So much for heightened security.
posted by mikhail (32 comments total)

Dead link - So much for this post.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:53 AM on October 3, 2002

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Shots were fired outside outside United Nations headquarters in New York. There were no reports of injuries and a man was taken into custody.
posted by brantstrand at 10:53 AM on October 3, 2002

Here's an actual link.
posted by gsteff at 10:54 AM on October 3, 2002

I just changed the link.

"A man fired a gun into the air outside the United Nations on Thursday and was taken into custody. There were no reports of injuries. "

Sounds like no big deal.
posted by mathowie at 10:54 AM on October 3, 2002

apparently the man got inside the gates, held up a gun and fired five shots into the air with no injuries at this time. he also had leaflets, though no one is saying what they had inscribed on them, nor how they thought he could get through security at the UN.

all in a day in new york city, i suppose.
posted by djspicerack at 10:55 AM on October 3, 2002

CNN link with lovely photo.
posted by oh posey at 10:56 AM on October 3, 2002

He said the man was also carrying leaflets. It was not clear what the leaflets said.

"I am a raving nutter and this is a cry for help."
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:57 AM on October 3, 2002

It was not clear what the leaflets said.
"Hey everyone! Look at me! I'm a crazed gunman! Look at me! Whee!"
posted by ac at 10:59 AM on October 3, 2002

It's not online yet, but Fox News is reporting that the leaflets contained a plea regarding North Korea, addressed to those who "love justice and freedom" or word to that affect, and complaining about starvation, privation and dictatorial oppression from the Pyongyang regime.
posted by Dreama at 11:01 AM on October 3, 2002

Apparently the leaflets were signed by a Steve Kim, and had something to do with North Korea. I heard the text but haven't seen it available online yet. It started out with, "To all people who love freedom..."
posted by mikhail at 11:02 AM on October 3, 2002

Put a beard on that guy in oh posey's link and it's Osama Bin Laden.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:03 AM on October 3, 2002

Also on oh posey's link, is that a walkie talkie the policeman has close to his mouth or a doughnut?
posted by jeremias at 11:07 AM on October 3, 2002

Or maybe he's just spreading his own version of propaganda like the USA is doing in southern Iraq.[rinkydinklink]
posted by oh posey at 11:09 AM on October 3, 2002

A bullet CASING was found on the 18th floor?

That's one hell of an ejector in that pistol...
posted by hadashi at 11:15 AM on October 3, 2002

A bullet CASING was found on the 18th floor?

News folk are profoundly ignorant of gun tech. On a BPvest show the other night, the newsy was holding up a spent slug against a new bullet for comparison, and the size change she cited was obviously comparing the two different items as being the same.
posted by HTuttle at 11:23 AM on October 3, 2002

If only the UN had some sort of quasi-military police force that could protect th... ...oh, wait, nevermind.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:25 AM on October 3, 2002

Did anyone else find it weird that they found a shell casing in the 18th floor bathroom? That's some serious blowback.
posted by Irontom at 11:26 AM on October 3, 2002

It's a good thing they caught him so he couldn't escape by train, meet a mysterious blonde and almost get mowed down by a crop duster. (I guess the "UN killer" used a knife in that scenario.)
posted by transona5 at 11:33 AM on October 3, 2002

Fox News link with text from the leaflet.
posted by mikhail at 11:43 AM on October 3, 2002

Communists suck.
posted by shamelesselitist at 11:50 AM on October 3, 2002

If only the UN had some sort of quasi-military police force that could protect th... ...oh, wait, nevermind.


HAHAHAHAHAHHA

That would be the guys in the blue berets chained to a bridge.
posted by a3matrix at 11:55 AM on October 3, 2002

Does anyone else see a picture of Smokey Robinson as the accompanying photo for the Yahoo article?



I had the brief impression that the nutcase was Smokey himself.
posted by grum@work at 11:56 AM on October 3, 2002

grum, my first thought was "Why, Smokey, why!!" Then I pushed my chair back, and from an added foot of distance, he looks like Tom Jones instead, so I thought "Why, Tom, Tom!" and now I have "It's not unusual to be love by anyone" running through my head over and over because it's the only part of the lyrics I know.
posted by tolkhan at 12:05 PM on October 3, 2002

Great. Now you've got it running through my head, too - only it's "It's not unusual to be shot by anyone."
posted by DenOfSizer at 12:57 PM on October 3, 2002

Oh no tolkhan...worse than that...I now have Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bell Aire dancing in my head to the tune of "Its Not Unusual"!
posted by SweetIceT at 1:06 PM on October 3, 2002

.357 revolver and fired all seven bullets in the gun toward the secretariat's building. One bullet entered the 18th floor and one the 20th floor" of the U.N. tower, "narrowly missing several employees,"

Lock the guy up attempted murder.
posted by stbalbach at 2:16 PM on October 3, 2002

In a press conference, the UN denounced violence and called for diplomatic solutions rather than locking the poor oppressed soul up.
posted by wrffr at 3:55 PM on October 3, 2002

News folk are profoundly ignorant of gun tech.
those last three words are a useless and unnecessary appendage to what was already a perfect sentence.
posted by quonsar at 4:10 PM on October 3, 2002

Does anyone else find it amusing that this guy is a postal worker?
posted by Cerebus at 5:50 PM on October 3, 2002

Chicago local news interviewed his son. They toured New York a few weeks ago, and the son said they went by (but did not enter) the UN as just another "tourist monument". The family was under the impression that Kim, who was taking a scheduled vacation day from the USPS, had gone to Seattle. They weren't aware of any unusual interest in the North Korean political situation; he was born in South Korea.
posted by dhartung at 6:05 PM on October 3, 2002

Coining a new phrase: "Going International Post"™
posted by tpoh.org at 6:14 PM on October 3, 2002

Good one tpoh.org

Does anyone else see a picture of Smokey Robinson as the accompanying photo for the Yahoo article?

Yahoo has been getting its pictures and stories mixed up lately it leads to interesting results.
posted by stbalbach at 9:23 PM on October 3, 2002