One morning last month, staffers at First Look Media’s New York City office discovered a hole in one of the windows overlooking Manhattan’s Flatiron District. Nearby, they found a bullet. Though First Look officials initially feared their company had been deliberately targeted by small arms fire, the New York City police department later blamed an unrelated incident at a nearby intersection in which someone discharged a gun. For some reason, the company has kept a tight lid on the fact that the incident ever happened.

Staffers received the following memo on April 16. The language suggests the shot was fired on the morning of April 12 (though we weren’t able to find any media reports about the incident):

Conclusion to NY incident

Team,

After substantial research and analysis, the police indicated that Monday’s incident was determined to be a random act, having nothing to do with us. Apparently there was an altercation early Sunday morning after nearby bars closed and a shot was fired from a neighboring street corner. We don’t anticipate any further information, but will of course let you know if we do receive anything. If you have any further questions please speak with your manager. Thanks.

First Look has a history of writing transparently about its internal office politics, so it is somewhat surprising that a bullet through the window didn’t merit any mention on the site—especially during the brief period when the staff, which includes high-profile, controversial personalities like Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill, was contending with the possibility that the office had been attacked by a sniper. At the very least, a shot fired into Greenwald’s shop is the sort of event that tends to spread through Manhattan gossip channels relatively rapidly. When Gawker began asking First Look staffers about the incident, though, several were silent or very reluctant to discuss what is, at the end of the day, a random facet of city living.

Asked about that reluctance, one First Look staffer told Gawker, “Because at first we didn’t know if we were targeted. But after it was determined to be random and totally no big deal (though obviously still bizarre) there is no reason to be so secretive.”

First Look is located at 114 5th Avenue, about 5 blocks south of the neighborhood’s eponymous Flatiron Building. The property has attracted several companies besides First Look: the news startup Mashable, the ad firm AKQA, and most recently Gawker Media, which will be moving into the building later this summer.

First Look’s spokesperson, Sarah Steven, did not respond to requests for a comment sent this morning. Representatives for 114 5th Ave and the N.Y.P.D. did not immediately return messages.

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