1 Killed, 2 Hurt in Shooting Near Penn Station During Rush Hour, Police Search for Suspects

One man was killed and two other men were wounded when a gunman opened fire near Penn Station Monday morning at West 35th Street and Eighth Avenue, officials said.

A group of men were inside the McDonald's on Eighth Avenue near the station when a heavyset man in a black hoodie approached them and made a comment, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. 

The group of men entered the subway station and the heavyset man followed behind them, firing four rounds at the bottom of the stairs, Boyce said during a press conference. 

The shooter appeared to have used a 9mm handgun, he said.

Read: Massive Sinkhole Opens Beneath IHOP Parking Lot and Swallows a Dozen Cars

A 43-year-old man, identified by authorities to the Associated Press as Angel Quinones, was shot in the head and died at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending family notification. 

Emergency responders rushed a 45-year-old man who was in critical condition after being hit once in the neck and once in the abdomen and a 48-year-old man in stable condition who was shot in the leg to Bellevue Hospital.

The AP identified the 45-year-old man as William Lamboy and the other victim as Eddy Torres.

All three men had lengthy arrest records for mostly drug charges, the AP said.

Both men are expected to survive, Boyce said.

The older victim is speaking with police about what occurred, he said.

Investigators are searching for the shooter who a 911 caller said may be traveling with two other men northbound on Eighth Avenue in a silver-colored vehicle. 

The victims are not believed to have known the shooter, Boyce said.

Some of the victims were patients at a nearby methadone clinic, but authorities do not believe the incident is related, he said. 

"The nature of the dispute is being investigated," Boyce said. 

The shooting occurred one block north of where the A, C and E subway lines meet at Penn Station.

Several blocks near the shooting have been closed off to civilians, as police investigate the early-morning shooting. 

Watch Below: See Shocking Surveillance Video From Deadly Texas Biker Gang Shooting