The man who opened fire outside The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine left a note saying he planned to take hostages but did not intend to harm them, sources said.
Luis Vasquez, 52, a native of the Dominican Republic, also expressed outrage over how he felt the United States treated Latin America, according to the note, which police found in his pocket.
“U.S. regime which has committed robbery and more against the people of Latin America,” read part of the message.
In the note, the existence of which was first reported by NBC New York, Vasquez said he wanted Latin America to receive more financial help.
Vasquez lived in The Bronx with his mother, and inside the apartment investigators found what were described by a law-enforcement source as “unhinged” rants and manifestos.
He was in the US on a travel visa that expired Sunday, the day he sprayed gunfire from the top of the church steps before he was shot dead by police.
Vasquez showed up after a Christmas carol performance outside the church, fired several shots with two handguns and yelled, “Kill me!” and “Shoot me” to responding officers.
In a video of the incident recorded by a witness, two on-duty NYPD officers are seen taking cover behind a garbage can while yelling at Vasquez to drop his weapons.
When Vasquez refuses, the officers open fire, striking him in the head.
Police said Vasquez had a full container of gasoline, knives, rope and a Bible in the backpack he wore doing his rampage.
Records show he had a criminal record dating back to 1990, when he was charged with attempted murder for firing at police and an unidentified woman.
State correction officials said he was released to immigration custody in 1994 after pleading the case down to a weapons-possession charge.
He was rearrested in 2007 and again released to immigration authorities.
Vasquez was also hit with a drug-sale charge in 1989, as well as a marijuana charge in The Bronx in 2012 and a turnstile-jumping offense in 2007.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for details on Vasquez’s case.
On Tuesday, the Rev. Clifton Daniel, dean of the world-famous Morningside Heights cathedral, said he forgives Vasquez and sympathizes with his family.
